


The Other Half of Me

by MidnightMare247



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Brothers, Character Development, Developing Relationships, Drama, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hajime & Izuru's relationship is main focus of story, Hinata Hajime and Kamukura Izuru Are Twins, Humor, Komahina and Kamunami are less focused but still relevant to plot, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 74,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25994227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightMare247/pseuds/MidnightMare247
Summary: Hinata Hajime was an ordinary, average reserve course student attending Hope's Peak Academy. With no special talent or skills, he didn't expect his life to be all that exciting.Kamukura Izuru was anything but ordinary, the perfect embodiment of hope and talent walking among Hope's Peak. With his remarkable talents in his possession, everything in his life seemed to bore him.Neither of them expected that to change until that fateful day they ran into each other, and they each realized they had a brother.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime & Kamukura Izuru, Hinata Hajime & Kamukura Izuru & Komaeda Nagito & Nanami Chiaki, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Kamukura Izuru/Nanami Chiaki
Comments: 292
Kudos: 639
Collections: Quality Fics





	1. The Wisteria Tree

**Author's Note:**

> \- I'm so excited to post this fic! I've been working on this fic for some months now and it's the first long fic that I've written in a long time. This is also the first Danganronpa fic that I've written so I'm a little nervous but oh well HERE WE GO!
> 
> \- Before we begin, I’m just gonna come out and say this right off the bat: I did not watch all of the Danganronpa anime. I watched bits and pieces, but I have yet to finish watching all of Despair Arc, Hope Arc, or Future Arc consecutively. Although I have not yet finished the anime, I did do extensive research, watched clips, read wiki pages, and basically got the gist of what went down in the anime (plus I already spoiled the anime for myself by reading other fics) so I'm using that to help me write this AU fic that takes place at HPA. Am I gonna actually sit down and watch the whole anime at some point? Probably. Is it going to be before I post this fic? No it is not.
> 
> \- Also! I just realized I should mention, Hajime and Izuru's relationship will be the MAIN FOCUS throughout the story as this fic is more centered around them. KomaHina and KamuNami are more minor-focused, however they are still relevant to the plot and will begin to take place around chapters 5 and 6. 
> 
> \- Fic will mostly be a POV switch between Hajime and Izuru with occasional switches of other important characters
> 
> \- New chapter update each week, every Saturday! Next Update: 09/26/20

Hajime didn’t expect this day to be any more eventful than the last.

Every day was pretty much the same after all; wake up, go to class, hang out with Nanami during lunch, go back to class, then when the day was over, return to his dorm room. On weekends, he might go out and spend more time with Nanami at an arcade, grab a bite to eat with her at a fast-food restaurant, or even play videogames with her online.

Those were the most exciting days for Hajime. Other than that, his days were uneventful. That’s just how life was for a Reserve Course student like him. But could he complain? He should be grateful just to be able to attend a school like Hope’s Peak, the school of his dreams. His parents had been hesitant about allowing him to attend the school, but at some point, they agreed to it and paid the pricey tuition to appease their son’s wishes.

Now here he was on a Monday morning, nearing the middle of the first school term. He stared at himself in the mirror, adjusting the green tie on his black uniform. After making sure his appearance was acceptable, he grabbed his school bag and made his way out of his dorm room. He exited the dormitory building and looked up, the morning sunrise spilling bright orangish colors onto a blue sky. The summer season was approaching soon as spring neared its end.

Reserve students quietly walked past him, minding their own businesses. Having woken up early as he usually does, he had some time before his classes started. He could go grab breakfast from the school cafeteria or wander around campus for a bit. The brunet chose the latter, not really in the mood to deal with busy lines and loud cafeteria chatter.

He wandered down his usual path, gazing out at all the various buildings on campus. Inevitably, his eyes landed on the Main Course building not too far from where he was standing. That building was where all the talented students were, students with tons of potential and futures destined for greatness. Those students were known as _Ultimates_.

Other reserve students often found them to be snobby and stuck up, thinking they were better than their less talented peers. He wasn’t sure how true that was, but he did know they weren’t all like that; one Ultimate student happened to be his best friend, after all, and she never treated him as less significant than her.

He found himself walking around the Main Course campus, passing by Ultimate students who seemed a lot cheerier and livelier than the reserve students did. Normally, seeing a reserve student wandering around the main campus would earn him some disapproving looks and glares from some of the adults, but he ignored them; he’d been here enough times already while hanging out with Nanami, and he wasn’t planning on stopping, so they’d just have to deal with it. Though, it did still bother him a little when he felt their scrutinizing, judgmental gazes on his back…

He continued to walk aimlessly, lost in thought until he spotted a lone wisteria tree off in the distance. Huh, he never noticed that tree there before. It was standing in a more deserted part of campus, with no other students seemingly near the area. A perfect place for him to contemplate his own self-worth and meaning to his existence. He sighed and closed his eyes, walking the straight path on the walkway towards the tree as he slipped into deep thought. He wondered how different his world would be like if he had an Ultimate talent like the Main Course students. What talent would he even want to have?

His best friend was the Ultimate Gamer. That would’ve been a cool talent to have, though it was hard to imagine Hajime beating his friend’s dedication to her games. Ultimate Debater? He wasn’t particularly great at many things, but he was pretty decent at debating on certain topics and discussions. He had gotten into many debates with his friend before, whether it was about current world events, conspiracy theories, or plotlines in videogames that made absolutely no sense and were a disgrace to their former name. Or would’ve his talent was-

“ _Oof—!_ ” Hajime’s thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly hit something very solid, causing him to fall back and land hard on the pavement. Ouch. Maybe walking with his eyes closed hadn’t been the brightest of ideas. The brunet groaned and rubbed his head, sitting up. He opened his eyes, ready to apologize to whoever he had run into, only to fall silent upon seeing who the other person was.

There standing before him was a boy who looked to be around his age. He wore a suit and tie, a uniform that looked almost similar to his, except the material seemed a lot higher quality, somehow. The boy had incredibly long, luxurious black hair that spilled around him like a waterfall of black ink. He wouldn’t have drawn his eyes away from it had it not been for the one other striking feature this boy possessed. Two blood red, piercing eyes stared down at Hajime, trapping him in its gaze. They were striking, intense, and if he looked close enough, he swore he could see very faint—crosshairs? Everything about the person before him radiated power and superiority, even the stone-cold, stoic expression on his face. It left him speechless.

“I— uh—“ Hajime stumbled over his words, struggling to get his thoughts out. Even just speaking to this person felt unruly, like he was breaking some unspoken rule of sorts. The other didn’t say a word, only stared at him silently, analyzing. After getting over his initial shock, he finally worked up enough nerve to stand up, getting a better look at the person across from him. They were about the same height, it would seem. He also appeared to have a similar body type as his from what he could tell. Actually, now that he was looking at him closer, he looked…eerily similar to Hajime.

Upon first glance, you wouldn’t think they looked anything alike, but if you take away the magnificent hair and scarlet red eyes, they did, in fact, seem to share the same face: sharp, focused eyes, pulled into a neutral expression, similar to Hajime’s neutral expression except far more intimidating. His nose, lips, jawline, and even the bit of ears he could see peeking from his curtain of hair all looked like Hajime’s. It was like he was staring at a corrupted reflection of himself. It was surreal.

Finally, after what felt like ages of staring and neither one of them saying a word, Hajime broke the silence.

“Uh, sorry… I didn’t mean to run into you like that,” he said apologetically, facing the red-eyed boy in front of him. “I wasn’t paying attention, so… my bad.”

The other boy said nothing, only stared. Hajime felt confused; did the other boy not hear him? Should he repeat himself? He opened his mouth to do so, only to stop short as the other boy finally spoke.

“Name.” the other boy said in a flat tone. It took Hajime a moment to process what the other had said until he realized that the other was asking for his name. Except it was more of a command than it was a question.

“Oh, uh, my name,” Hajime cleared his throat, nearly forgetting his own name before he replied. “My name is Hinata Hajime. Nice to meet you.”

The other boy closed his eyes. “Hinata Hajime.” he repeated as if searching for confirmation that that was, in fact, the correct way to pronounce it. Hajime felt a chill run through him upon hearing his name being said in such a monotone voice. And yet even though his voice lacked emotion, it still sounded eerily similar to Hajime’s own voice. The boy then reopened his eyes, glancing at Hajime one last time, before he proceeded to walk past him, leaving him stunned.

“H-hey, wait, aren’t you gonna tell me your—” Hajime whirled around only to discover that the other boy was no longer there. _What the hell??_ Hadn’t he just been there a second ago, how did he disappear so fast? He looked out at the empty walkway before him, the flowers on the wisteria tree gently swaying in the breeze above him.

He had to tell Nanami about this.

* * *

Hajime approached the fountain located somewhere within the campus of the school, holding onto his lunch tray. Every school day during lunch hours he came to this spot where his best friend was waiting for him, and every school day there she was, sitting on the bench near the fountain with her eyes glued to her Nantendo Game Girl Advance, mashing buttons and strategizing. She wore her usual brown school uniform along with the signature white hair clip she always wore, located on the left side of her bangs, in the shape of the spaceship from Galaga, one of her favorite videogames. Her lunch tray sat right by her, only partially eaten. He sat down beside her, setting the tray down on his lap.

“Good afternoon, Hinata-kun.” Nanami greeted, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“Hey, Nanami. I hope you’re not forgetting to eat your lunch again.”

“Ah, I know. Let me just finish this round.” She continued playing her game for about a minute longer, Hajime patiently waiting as he took a bite of his sandwich. Eventually, she set the device down and turned to face him, beaming at him with those pale rose eyes. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, something interesting happened to me today.”

“Oh?” She took a bite out of her own sandwich, her next words coming out muffled as she chewed. “What happened?”

“I ran into this student today, and he was, well, kinda creepy.”

“Creepy?” The lilac-haired girl tilted her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

“When I ran into him, he hardly seemed affected at all. He just stood there staring at me without saying a word. Plus, he had this insanely long black hair that I’m pretty sure was real, and these red, intense-looking eyes. He hardly spoke to me, just asked for my name then walked off...”

“Whoa…” She looked intrigued, eyes widening a slight bit.

“That’s not even the craziest part,” he continued. “The craziest part is that I think he sorta… looked like me. I swear his face looked like mine and when he spoke his voice sounded like mine too, except more… cold.”

“Hmm,” Nanami put a finger to her chin in thought. “Maybe someone stole your DNA, created an evil clone version of you, and programmed that clone to destroy the original.”

“Haha, very funny,” he wryly replied, a lazy smile stretching on his face. “Besides, if he was an evil clone, wouldn’t he have already destroyed me when I first ran into him?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want any witnesses to expose him. Then the original guy’s best friend would have to track him down and exact revenge on him in the sequel.” She looked up at the sky, finger still on her chin as she appeared to be daydreaming this storyline she suddenly created. Hajime couldn’t help but chuckle. He always found her somewhat quirky behavior to be cute.

“Well, either way, I’m still curious about that guy. Like, what’s his name? What kind of talent does he have? What grade is he in?”

“He sounds mysterious,” The lilac-haired girl took a sip of strawberry milk, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Actually, now that I think about it, he sounds like the guy from that rumor.”

“Rumor?” The brunet looked at her curiously.

“I’ve heard a rumor going around about a mysterious, long-haired guy who lurks around campus, though is rarely seen, like a ghost. I can’t say for sure, but if I recall, I think I’ve heard someone call him… Kamukura Izuru.”

“ _Kamukura Izuru_?” Hajime felt like he heard that name before. Wait, wasn’t that the founder of Hope’s Peak Academy? There’s no way the person he ran into earlier was the founder; he looked way too young – around Hajime’s age – and definitely seemed like a student attending HPA. Maybe he was related to the founder, like his grandson or something. Or he could just coincidentally share the same name, though that seemed unlikely. That might not even be his real name at all. Although something about that name still tugged at him.

_Kamukura Izuru… just who are you anyway?_

* * *

Boring. That is how this day had begun.

Much like the previous days prior, nothing seemed to hold much interest to Izuru. He had awoken from his sleeping state upon sunrise, as always. Next, he underwent his typical hygiene routine, as always. Then he flawlessly prepared himself a small, well-balanced breakfast in which he quietly ate in his room, as always. These daily tasks that he has undergone countless times had once again proven to be tedious and boring.

After he completed his morning routine, his teachers had given him an assignment to remodel a faulty rocket ship design in which Izuru completed in less than half an hour. That, too, had been boring. Afterward, he had been given free time to do as he pleased which led him to wander the school campus, an act he had done many times already, but the only other alternative was remaining in the underground tunnels surrounded by pestering teachers and scientists all day.

In summary, his morning had begun exactly as he predicted it would; boring and uneventful.

Until something not-so-boring happened.

It happened as he was wandering the school campus. A student from the Reserve Course Department had been walking across the main course campus and unintentionally crashed into him on the walkway.

_[Note: Zero effect on himself, though the same could not be said for the other student who crashed onto the ground. Upon analyzation, no external injuries were sustained]_

He didn’t think much of it at first. After all, there was nothing particularly interesting about the boy. The student seemed as bland and boring as one could get with little to no striking physical features or personality traits to be seen. However, there was _something_ about the student that caught his attention; the other male appeared to share similar physical characteristics as he did.

Not just similar, in fact, upon further examination he looked near identical to Izuru if you disregard the eye color, hair color, and hair length. There were smaller, less significant details the other boy possessed that differed from the two of them such as the other boy’s uneven fingernails, his slightly tanner skin tone, a small, faded scratch above the other’s left eyebrow – but these details were small and hardly mattered.

His voice was identical as well. The frequencies were the same as Izuru’s, the major difference being that the other student’s voice sounded far more expressive than his. This left Izuru with questions: Who is Hinata Hajime and why are his physical attributes so similar to his own? There was a possibility that the look-alike was merely a doppelganger—there were only so many different combinations to physical appearances that human beings could possess, after all—whom Izuru could’ve just found by chance, though that probability was low.

After some calculating, Izuru made a decision: he will find out more about this Hinata Hajime.

With that objective in mind, he made his way through the quiet, empty corridors of the Hope’s Peak Academy school hallways towards the headmaster’s office. It was well past midnight which meant no students or staff members were there to interfere with his plans. This also meant that he was violating not only school rules but one of the rules his teachers had given him about going out of his room after hours. Not that he particularly cared for the rules his teachers enforced, it was simply more convenient for him if he followed them to avoid dealing with their lectures.

He approached the door to the headmaster’s office and—using one of his many ultimate talents—lockpicked the door open with ease. The door opened with a slight creak, allowing him inside. As expected, the room was uninhabited. He walked over to a cabinet full of files and proceeded to open each drawer one by one, searching for one file in particular. Then he saw it.

He pulled out a manila folder, opening it and scanning over its contents.

_Name: Hinata Hajime_

_Sex: Male_

_DOB: 01/01_

_Height: 179 cm (5'8")_

_Weight: 67 kg (147 lbs)_

_Reserve Course Department_

_Class 11-B_

_GPA: 3.0_

As expected, the file contained very basic information, some of which he’d already deduced upon meeting the look-alike. He stored any additional information away in his memory and continued to search. There were a few other files, things such as medical record copies, a birth certificate copy, and his registration form. He did a quick scan of those, storing that information into his memory as well.

Then something else caught his attention. Stored at the very back of the manilla folder was another folder, thin and black. He took out that folder and carefully opened it, doing a quick scan of its contents.

…

Ah, so his theory was correct… This is an intriguing discovery. Does the look-alike know about this? The probability is low, considering the look-alike’s initial reaction upon meeting him.

…

Izuru hasn’t been this interested in something for a long time, he realized. Many questions began to flood his mind: Why was this information kept secret from him? Does the look-alike truly not know of his existence? If so, why? What other secrets have been kept from him?

Is there more to this Hinata Hajime than what meets the eye?

…

_[New Objective: Observe Hinata Hajime until further details]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Izuru shall commence: stalking!  
> \- I read somewhere that wisteria can symbolize new beginnings. I hope I'm correct.  
> \- Just so you know, the Chiaki in this fic is based off the real one in the anime, not the AI.  
> \- I don’t know what class Hajime is in so I just chose a random class number. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> \- Also do the Reserve Course students have dorms? …I don’t know but they do now.  
> \- Next Update: 09/26/20


	2. Brothers

The next day, Hajime was on his way to the fountain again, lunch tray in hand. He hadn’t had any other run-ins with the mysterious boy from yesterday, not that he was expecting to, but… he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been hoping for it. As to why he was hoping for it, he had no clue. As he was heading towards the fountain, however, he felt a strange sense of eyes on his back, watching him.

He found himself looking over his shoulder every minute or so, but there was never anyone there, only the occasional student walking by, paying him no mind. He tried to ignore this feeling, figuring he was just being paranoid for whatever reason. Eventually, he spotted Nanami at the fountain and took a seat beside her.

“Hey hey, Hinata-kun.” Nanami greeted, eyes glued to her Game Girl again.

“Hey, Nanami.” He sat down and wordlessly began to eat his food.

It was quiet, only beeping sounds from Nanami’s videogame filling the air. She was too focused on her game and he was too distracted with his thoughts to spark up a conversation. He had a lot on his mind, a lot being the mysterious individual he met the other day and had yet to see again.

He didn’t know why he kept thinking about this person; maybe because he looked so alike himself, maybe because there were so many rumors about him, or maybe because he simply seemed like an interesting albeit intimidating person and wanted to know more about him. Either way, he found it difficult to focus on anything else ever since he ran into that guy.

“Is everything alright, Hinata-kun?” he snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his friend’s voice, turning to face Nanami. Her eyes were still glued to the screen but Hajime could tell that a part of her attention was on him. “You seem a little distracted.”

He wasn’t sure if he should tell his lilac-haired friend what was on his mind. He didn’t have an explanation as to why he was so invested in this Kamukura person, so it might seem weird if he admitted out loud that he’s been thinking about him ever since yesterday.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just have some stuff on my mind…” he replied.

“Hmm, if you say so,” she finally put down the device and turned to face Hajime. “By the way, did you hear about the latest battle royal game that just released?”

“Oh yeah, I did. I was thinking about getting it.”

The two of them then fell into a discussion about the latest videogame releases as they finished eating their lunch.

* * *

Izuru hid behind a nearby tree, watching the two individuals eating and conversing beside one another. One of them he had immediately recognized to be the look-alike, Hinata Hajime, the person whom he had been following around all day and observing from a distance. A few times the other male would look over his shoulder, and every time Izuru would swiftly hide out of view before he could be spotted. Now he was here, watching as he spoke with a female he had yet to meet.

_Name: Nanami Chiaki_

_Title: Ultimate Gamer_

_Sex: Female_

_DOB: 03/14_

_Height: 160 cm (5'2")_

_Weight: 46 kg (101 lbs)_

This was a student he did recognize upon analyzation, having obtained knowledge on all the Ultimate Students attending Hope’s Peak Academy. His teachers had not given him any information on the Reserve Course students, claiming that it was unimportant considering their talentless nature and therefore not worth his time. He was beginning to suspect other reasons as to why they would withhold this information from him.

He continued to study the look-alike and the gamer, the way they talked and interacted with one another. According to his observations, they appeared to have a close, mutual relationship built on companionship. One would think this was odd considering they both held different statuses, the gamer being labeled more superior than her talentless companion. He wondered what reasons there were to their companionship. 

He listened in on their conversation closely. They appeared to be talking about an electronic video game of sorts. It sounded boring. Eventually, the two of them parted ways, most likely returning to their respective classes. Izuru knew it was unwise to wander around the schools while classes were in session; even with his stealth, there were students and staff members everywhere, and he was bound to get caught if he continued to follow the look-alike out in the open.

Although he didn’t care much whether he was seen by others, it was less inconvenient for him if he avoided all other people. His teachers also made it known that they would prefer if his existence remained anonymous, though Izuru did not see a reason why he should. After watching the two students depart, Izuru turned around and headed back to his lab.

* * *

Another 24 hours cycled by. Izuru hid behind the same tree, watching the two students depart again as their lunchtime had just ended.

He had observed the look-alike throughout yesterday as well as today and has his schedule memorized, which was as follows: emerge from reserve course dormitories around 7:30 AM, wander up until 8:30 AM _(note: both days, the look-alike has revisited the wisteria tree where they met two days prior)_ , start walking to class at 8:30 AM, have lunch with the gamer at the fountain at 11:30 AM, leave back to class at 12:00 PM, then return to dormitories after 3:15 PM.

From what he has observed, the look-alike has little to no talent or special skill. His social life consists of socializing only with the gamer before proceeding to isolate himself in his dorm room. The conversations the look-alike and the gamer have held were usually about trivial topics and things that he did not care for.

He also noted that neither the look-alike nor the gamer has mentioned Izuru in any of their conversations, leading him to believe that the look-alike is either unaware of his relations to Izuru or does not care for his existence, most likely the former. This led to more questions, but he was beginning to doubt he’d have them answered by just observing the other male.

…

Izuru has reached a conclusion: Hinata Hajime is completely and utterly boring.

He supposed this was inevitable. He had hoped to uncover more information regarding the discovery he made Monday night, but the look-alike had proved useless in that matter. He would have to find other ways to uncover the truth. He left the fountain area, having no intention of returning.

After leaving the fountain, he headed back towards the underground tunnels, avoiding as much contact with others as possible. He made it to the staircase leading downwards to a basement door and proceeded to approach the door, stopping in front of the retina scanner, allowing it to scan his eye. 

A few seconds later, the door opened and granted him access, allowing him to pass through into the underground tunnels, the area that was technically considered his ‘home.’ He didn’t bother to speak to any teachers or scientists he passed by as he made his way to his room.

He arrived in his room shortly after, shutting the door behind him. His room was of average size and always clean and organized, with a desk over by one corner, a dresser, and a bed in the other corner. He didn’t carry many possessions, deeming them unnecessary, which left a lot of space in this dark, empty room. There was also a bathroom connected with a door to the right side of the room, a small space where he performed his hygiene routine.

Even though this was considered ‘his room,’ it only served to remind him of all the endless, repetitive days he’s spent isolated and stuck in this cycle of boredom. Hardly a minute after he arrived, his lab door reopened and one of his teachers entered the room. They always came into his room unannounced.

“There you are, Izuru,” The woman spoke, clipboard in hand. “Come, you have an assignment to complete.”

Izuru was not pleased with this, already predicting how unbearably boring this would be, but proceeded to follow the teacher regardless. His thoughts lingered back to the events that transpired since Monday morning, from meeting the talentless look-alike to his last observations of him at the fountain.

Such a boring outcome.

* * *

Hajime sat in his dorm room, textbooks and notebooks sprawled out all over his desk. It was getting late and the brunet figured he should try to cram a little study time in before bed. His grades were nothing but average, and it was only because of these study sessions that he even managed to achieve that. He tried to focus as he wrote down notes but found it difficult to concentrate as he still had a certain someone on his mind.

He sighed and put down his pencil, feeling a headache coming on. Maybe it was time to consult someone about this problem of his or he’d never get anything done. He pulled out his smartphone and texted the only person he could think of.

_Nanami_

_8:06 PM_

_[8:06 pm]_

**_You:_ ** _hey Nanami, u up?_

A few seconds later, his phone vibrated, signaling a notification.

_[8:06 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yep, I’m playing animal crossing_

 ** _Nanami:_ ** _wut’s up?_

_[8:07 pm]_

**_You_ ** _: nothin much, just studying_

 ** _You:_ ** _I’m having a hard time focusing tho_

_[8:07 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _why’s that?_

_[8:08 pm]_

**_You:_ ** _something’s been on my mind a lot lately…_

_[8:08 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _wut’s on ur mind?_

He hesitated, debating whether or not he should tell her before finally giving in.

_[8:10 pm]_

**_You:_ ** _I keep thinking about that guy I ran into last Monday_

_[8:10 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _ah, u mean that Kamukura guy?_

_[8:10 pm]_

**_You:_ ** _yeah_

_[8:11 pm]_

**_You_** _: I know it’s weird. I just feel like I want to see him again and maybe get to know him?_

 ** _You:_ ** _Idk why…_

_[8:11 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _I get what u mean_

_[8:12 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _we should try to find out more about him_

_[8:12 pm]_

**_You:_ ** _rly?_

_[8:12 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yeah, why not?_

 ** _Nanami:_ ** _I’ll ask my classmates and see what they know about him_

_[8:13 pm]_

**_You:_ ** _ok, thx Nanami_

_[8:13 pm]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yep yep_ _(_ _＾ｕ＾_ _)_

Hajime smiled, feeling a new sense of excitement and adventure blossom within him. Maybe it was silly, but he couldn’t help it. Besides, when did interesting things ever happen to him? At least now he had something to look forward to tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, Hajime sat by Nanami at the fountain, too eager to even touch his lunch this time around.

“Good afternoon, Nanami.” he greeted as he sat down.

“Hinata-kun, hey,” she placed down her Game Girl and turned to face the boy beside her. “Did you find out anything about you-know-who?”

“Not much. I heard a few people talking in the halls about the rumor of a red-eyed, black-haired person…” Hajime proceeded to tell her about what he overheard, most of which was just gossip about Kamukura only being a superstition (which Hajime knew was false considering he ran into the man himself) or that he is real, but isn’t human, like a ghost haunting the corridors.

“Hmm, you think he might actually be a ghost?” Nanami asked, looking as if she was seriously pondering this with her finger on her chin.

“I’m pretty sure he wasn’t.” he deadpanned. Though he supposed it wouldn’t be too hard to believe as he thought back to the almost supernatural aura the boy gave off.

“Well, I talked to my classmates and one of them said they actually saw him.”

Hajime’s head perked up as he looked at Nanami, eyes lighting up with interest.

“Really?” he asked.

She nodded. “My friend Komaeda-kun says he’s seen him before. He didn’t get a chance to talk to him before he disappeared, but the description he gave me sounded just like the one you gave me. Long black hair, sharp red eyes, and a very serious persona. He also said something about him radiating hope or something like that...”

 _Radiating hope…?_ Hajime shook his head at that thought and instead focused on the other thing Nanami told him. The descriptions matched, which meant he wasn’t the only one to have seen Kamukura in person.

“I see. Is there a way I could talk to Komaeda, maybe ask if he knows anything else about this Kamukura guy?” he asked.

“I’ll ask him to meet with you, but there’s no guarantee. Komaeda-kun can be a bit, well, much.”

He nodded and continued to ponder this new information as the both of them finished eating their lunches.

* * *

The last school bell of the day rang, dismissing all students from their classes. Hajime gathered his belongings, being one of the last ones to leave as his classmates filed out of the door. Eventually, the brunet made his way out of the classroom. The hall was empty and quiet, strangely enough, not a single soul in sight. Sunlight spilled from the hall windows, painting the corridor in orange colors. It felt almost eerie, ominous, like something big was about to happen but he didn’t know what. It left the brunet feeling tense, uncertain.

Until he saw _him._

Standing there at the end of the long hallway was the elusive man himself: Kamukura Izuru. His back was turned to Hajime, but there was no mistaking those long, raven-colored locks flowing gracefully down his back. His thoughts flickered back to the rumors, about how some people thought he was a ghost, and the brunet couldn’t argue with that idea as he noticed the sunlight from the window made the other boy look ethereal, like a phantom in the corridors.

The figure did nothing, only stood there like he was waiting for something. For a moment, Hajime was stuck frozen in shock. Then suddenly, the raven-haired boy started to walk away, his footsteps completely silent. Hajime snapped out of his trance and reached a hand out towards the other.

“W-wait! Kamukura!”

The other boy slowed to a stop. He took that as his chance to continue. “You’re Kamukura Izuru, right?” The brunet took several steps towards the other, daring to get closer to the mysterious boy. A few seconds passed by before the figure finally spoke, back still turned to Hajime.

“That is correct.” the boy said, voice as monotone as he remembered. Hajime could feel the excitement bubbling up within him.

“Ah, you might not remember me, but I’m—“

“Hinata Hajime.” Kamukura finally turned around to face the brunet, scarlet eyes locking onto his. “I remember you.”

“Y-you do?” His voice cracked, feeling jittered underneath the other boy’s intense gaze.

“I remember anything and everything, always.”

“I see…”

_Man, this guy is really intense…_

Hajime cleared his throat. “Well, first of all… who are you?”

The red-eyed boy was silent for a short moment before he responded.

“I am what they call the Ultimate Hope.” Hajime looked at him quizzically. _Ultimate Hope…? What does that mean?_ As if reading his thoughts, the other male continued. “I possess all other Ultimate talents. In other words, my talent is talent itself. My purpose is to spread hope throughout all of humanity using these many talents I have been gifted with. That is why I have been given the title of Ultimate Hope.” 

Hajime’s eyes widened.

 _Holy crap… his talent is talent itself? Is that even possible?_

“Wow, that sounds... big.” Hajime only grew more curious about the boy in front of him. “Wait, so you’re an Ultimate, then? What class are you in? How come you’re here in the Reserve Course building if you’re an Ultimate? And why did you—“

“Boring.” the other boy interrupted. It took a moment for the brunet to process what the other said, eyes blinking.

“Excuse me?”

“Your questions are boring. I predicted they would be, coming from someone like you.”

_Someone like me…?_

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he frowned, feeling something in the air around them change suddenly.

Kamukura looked at him with cold, calculating eyes.

“I was unsure of what to expect from you. Considering our connection with one another, I assumed you’d possess a similar talent as I, or some fraction of it at least.”

“Connection? Talent? Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?”

The other boy fell silent again as if thinking of his next response carefully. Eyes piercing through Hajime’s soul, he answered. 

“You and I are brothers.”

…

What?

There was no way he heard him correctly.

“Huh?” Hajime looked at him as if he just grew a second head. The other boy seemed unperturbed as he continued.

“We share the same biological parents. We are brothers. More specifically, twin brothers.”

…What the hell? The other boy was talking like he was sharing a simple fact rather than dropping a bombshell on him. There was no way what he was saying was true. Hajime did not have a brother. As far as he knew, he was an only child and always has been.

And yet, as he looked at the serious boy across from him, noticing their similar features, he couldn’t help but consider this being a true fact. But how? How was this possible? How could this other person know this? How long had he known? It didn’t make sense. There was a heavy, discomforting feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

“Is this some kind of joke?” The brunet felt tense, hands clenched.

“Are you turning away from the truth?” Kamukura remarked. He looked the opposite of Hajime’s current state, calm, and collected as he stood there, judging him. “Is that your response? How boring…”

The red-eyed boy turned around and began to walk away. Hajime flinched.

“Hey, wait a minute! What the hell was that?” he snapped, his patience growing thin. “You can’t just say we’re brothers then turn around and walk away! What do you mean we’re twin brothers?”

“Such a predictable reaction from a predictable person,” Kamukura stopped walking, looking over his shoulder and staring at him in contempt. “People like you, who lack talent and purpose, are insignificant. Your connection to me gave me a mild interest in you, but even with that connection, your existence bores me.”

Hajime felt like he had just been slapped in the face, or better yet stabbed straight through the heart with a metal sword. There was a pain in his chest, sharp and crushing, almost enough to make Hajime want to shrink down and disappear entirely. Then his shock transformed into anger.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” he seethed.

“Someone you will never understand,” Kamukura was not at all fazed by his anger. “You are an inferior being, a parasite leeching off those more talented than you. That is all you are.”

“You—!”

Kamukura disappeared down the hall, leaving a hurt, confused, and angered Hajime behind.

* * *

Hajime laid on his dorm room bed, deep in thought as he stared up at the ceiling. He’d been processing what Kamukura told him ever since their last meeting hours earlier. A part of him still refused to believe it. He’d grown up thinking he was an only child in a household with two parents, one who worked out the house all the time and another who worked at home all the time, neither of them having very much time for him.

He never had any siblings to play videogames with, or watch movies with, or talk about miscellaneous things with; he always did those things alone. The closest thing he had to experience those things with were the few friends he had in elementary and middle school, but he’d never been that close to any of them. So for someone to come out of nowhere and tell him that he was his brother…

There was only one way to know for sure.

Hajime picked up his smartphone, scrolling through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. He tapped the screen, calling the number, and held the phone up to his ear, listening to it ring a few times before someone picked up.

 _“Hello?”_ a voice on the other end spoke.

“Hey, mom.” he replied.

_“Hajime, dear, how are you?”_

“I’m… fine, I guess. You?”

_“I just finished preparing dinner for me and your father. You remember that curry recipe, the one he likes so much? I think I finally perfected it. It’s quite delicious.”_

“Yeah, sounds great…”

His mom must’ve noticed the stress in his voice as she paused.

_“...Is everything alright, Hajime?”_

Hajime inhaled deeply and shifted so that he was sitting up in his bed.

“I met someone today.”

There was another pause on the other end, a hesitance.

_“...Oh?”_

“Yeah. He’s a student like me who goes to Hope’s Peak. He looks like me and…” he sighed. “…his name is Kamukura Izuru and he says he’s my twin brother.” He could’ve sworn he heard a small gasp on the other end. Then there was silence, stretching on for what felt like ages. “Mom… is it true? Do I have a brother? A _twin_ brother even?”

 _“I–… Hajime, I-I…”_ He could sense the distress coming off her from the phone, struggling to get the words out.

“ _Please_ , mom,” he stressed. “I just want the truth.”

He felt bad for pushing his mom like this—she had always been slightly more emotional and easier to stress out, unlike his more level-headed father—but this was something he couldn’t just put off or ignore. Once again, silence stretched out on the other end, and for a moment he thought she wasn’t going to respond. Then finally, he heard a shaky sigh on the other end.

 _“…It’s true,”_ his mom confessed. _“You have a twin brother.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Dun Dun Duuuuuun! (sike we all saw it coming)  
> \- Also golly, Izuru, why you gotta roast Hajime like that?  
> \- Next Update: 10/03/20


	3. Double Trouble

Hajime woke up that Friday morning with a plan. The conversation he had with his mom last night ended shortly after she confirmed that Kamukura was in fact, his twin brother. He had initially been thrown for a loop upon hearing that he had a brother, but hearing his mom confirm it made it all too real. The brunet had a million questions to ask, such as why his parents didn’t tell him about Kamukura, why didn’t Kamukura live or grow up with them, and why does Kamukura have a different last name than him?

After the confession, his mom became too distressed to answer any other questions he might’ve had and instead ended the phone call abruptly. He wasn’t sure when his mom would be ready to tell him the whole story. He didn’t plan on sitting around waiting for her, either. If his parents weren’t going to tell him the truth, then he would take matters into his own hands.

He was going to talk to Kamukura Izuru again.

Hajime left the dormitory building like a man on a mission. He didn’t know where he was going to find Kamukura, but he had a few ideas on where he might spot him. He stepped onto the Main Course campus, keeping an eye out for the raven-haired twin as he passed by Ultimate students. The two encounters he had with Kamukura happened when they were alone, so he figured he wouldn’t be around any crowded areas. He remembered the wisteria tree, the place he first ran into the twin, and how it had been completely deserted. With this in mind, he made his way to the area where the lone tree stood.

He arrived shortly after and to his surprise, he saw him—Kamukura Izuru standing alone beneath the wisteria tree, back turned to him. He suddenly remembered their last encounter and how not-so-smoothly things had gone, prompting a wave of anxiety to make itself known within him. But knowing what he knows now, he was determined to speak with him and possibly get to know him regardless of the arrogant attitude he seemed to carry. He took a deep breath then approached the twin.

“Hey…” he called out. Kamukura did not respond or move to face him, even though he knew the other boy heard him. The brunet bit back the urge to snap again, pushing down his irritation, and instead sighed. _Well, here goes nothing…_

“Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day,” the brunet shifted his weight onto his other foot. “I… I talked to my mom—well, I guess _our_ mom—and she told me it was true. We’re brothers.”

Kamukura slowly turned around, eyes immediately locking onto Hajime’s. The brunet felt that twist in his stomach again, that sense of intimidation threatening to return, but he was determined not to back down. Steadying his nerve, he straightened his stance and stared back at Kamukura with resolve, keeping their gazes locked.

“I never knew I had a brother up until now. I don’t know why you were kept a secret from me, but either way, I really want to get to know you. So, if you want, I was hoping maybe we could… hang out?”

A small flicker of surprise crossed the other boy’s face for a split second before it returned to its neutral expression.

“…Why?”

“Like I said, I want to get to know you better,” He shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight again. “Even though you were being kind of a jerk the other day, if you’re really my twin brother then we should at least know more about each other. Besides, I wanna understand what happened between you and our family, don’t you?”

Kamukura’s eyes shifted downwards, looking thoughtful. “I admit, I am also curious about my origins. I was not aware that I had any existing relatives until recently, let alone a twin brother.”

“So then… you agree to hang out with me?”

Kamukura looked back up to meet the brunet’s gaze.

“Yes,” he answered simply. “Although I can already predict many ways this will play out, I am curious to see what you have planned, Hinata Hajime.”

Hajime felt both surprised and relieved.

“Ah, okay then,” he smiled a little. “By the way, since we’re brothers, you can just call me Hajime if you want.”

Kamukura hummed in acknowledgment. 

“Is it okay if I call you Izuru?”

“I don’t care.”

“Alright then.”

Hajime pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and checked the time. It read 8:29 AM. “Ah, I gotta start heading to class,” He slid his phone back in his pocket. “We should meet back here at lunchtime.”

“Very well.” Izuru agreed.

“I’ll see you later then, Izuru.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

With that, Hajime turned around and made his way back to the Reserve Course campus. Some time after he left the wisteria tree, he pulled out his smartphone again and texted Nanami.

_Nanami_

_8:31 AM_

_[8:31 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _hey, ur not gonna believe this but I ran into Izuru again_

_[8:31 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _really?? :O_

_[8:32 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _yeah, and guess what?_

 **_You:_ ** _he’s my brother_

 **_You:_ ** _my TWIN brother_

_[8:32 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _ur joking_

_[8:32 AM]_

**_You:_** _I’m dead serious_

_[8:33 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _OMG!!! :O_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _so that’s why he looked like you! wut a plot twist!_

_[8:33 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _Ikr?_

 **_You:_ ** _I’m gonna be hanging out with him at lunchtime today to get to know him better_

 **_You:_ ** _hope that’s ok with u_

_[8:34 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _of course it’s ok! You two need to start gaining those relationship points!_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _good luck Hinata-kun! I believe in u! (/_ _◕_ _ヮ_ _◕)/_

_[8:34 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _thx_

_[8:34 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _don’t forget to tell me how it goes! (*^_ _▽^*)_

_[8:35 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _I won’t_

Hajime smiled at his phone before sliding it back in his pocket and walking into his classroom.

* * *

At lunchtime, Hajime arrived back at the wisteria tree, lunch tray in hand. When he got there, he immediately spotted Izuru standing beneath the tree once again, this time faced to the right with his eyes closed. Hajime approached him.

“You haven’t been here since I left, have you?” he asked a little worriedly.

“No,” Izuru opened his eyes to look at Hajime. “I arrived precisely twenty-five minutes and thirty-three seconds ago.”

_That’s still a long time…_

“Alright then,” He looked around the area. “We should go look for a table to eat at.”

Izuru turned towards him, trailing slightly behind him as they searched for an outside table. The brunet couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved, feeling the other boy’s stare on the back of his neck.

_I still can’t believe he’s my twin brother… he’s so… different._

Eventually, he spotted what he was looking for.

“There,” Hajime pointed towards a lone table near the walkway. “Seems like a decent spot to eat.” The brunet walked over to the table, setting his tray down on the tabletop, then sat down, watching as Izuru sat across from him. Hajime noticed the raven-haired twin didn’t bring a tray or any sort of food for that matter.

“You didn’t bring any lunch for yourself?”

“I do not need to obtain nourishment at the moment.” Izuru stated matter-of-factly.

“Uh, okay…” He took a bite of his sandwich and adverted his gaze.

The silence that ensued was, simply put, awkward, at least for Hajime. For the next five minutes or so, he ate his lunch in silence while Izuru just stared at him across the table, like he was observing a creature in its natural habitat. Hajime could feel beads of nervous sweat forming on his skin, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The other didn’t seem at all bothered or discomforted by the silence, only indifferent. He wondered if the other was even capable of feeling awkward with how many times Hajime had caught him staring.

_I should probably say something…_

“So…” He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “How long have you been at this school?”

There was a short moment of silence before the other twin responded. “A long time.”

He felt annoyed by that indirect answer but decided to let it go for now.

“You said your title was the Ultimate Hope, right? And your talent is talent itself?”

“Correct.”

“Is that really true? I mean, how is that possible?”

Izuru paused, looking thoughtful again. Then he spoke. “I was brought into this world with extraordinary talents, that of which have been honed and perfected here at Hope’s Peak Academy by my teachers. They have trained and taught me how to best utilize these talents to the point where I have far surpassed them in terms of skill and intelligence.”

“Wow,” he said, surprised. “So, you’re like… a genius among geniuses or something?”

“Essentially.”

_And I’m actually related to that super-talented genius?_

Hajime tried not to let his intimidation show and instead opted to change the subject.

“I seriously don’t know why I’m just now finding out about this. About… you.” He looked down at his half-eaten sandwich. “My mom— _our_ mom hasn’t picked up any of my calls since last night and dad hardly ever answers my calls. He’s usually too busy.” Izuru seemed to be paying close attention to his words as he spoke. “I just don’t get it… why would they hide this from me? From _us_?”

“I have some theories.”

Hajime’s head perked up, waiting to hear what the other boy had theorized. The other simply blinked at him.

“Well? Aren’t you gonna tell me?”

A few seconds of silence passed, indicating that no, he was not going to tell him. He frowned.

“You’re seriously not gonna tell me?”

No response. Hajime grumbled in annoyance and continued to eat. Eventually, he finished his lunch, making sure to gather all the remains on his tray.

“Gotta head back to class,” The brunet stood up and gathered his tray. “What time do your classes end so we can hang out again?”

“I will be unavailable for the remainder of the day,” Izuru also stood up from his seat. “I have assignments from my teachers to complete.”

“Oh. Well, give me your phone number and we can set up another time to hang out.”

Izuru looked at him. “I do not own a cellular phone.”

Hajime threw him a surprised look.

_He doesn’t have a cellphone? Huh… guess I’ll have to get him one at some point._

“Ah, well then… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Hajime hoped the other boy would still be willing to hang out with him the next day, even though it felt incredibly awkward the first time.

The other boy blinked at him again, remaining silent for another moment. Then he replied. “Yes.”

Hajime nodded then made his way back to class.

* * *

Izuru passed through an empty hallway in the main course building, making his way towards the underground tunnels. He thought about his earlier encounter with ~~the look-alike~~ Hajime. He had predicted the other boy might seek him out again, though he expected he wouldn’t. He found himself mildly surprised when the other boy had approached him and requested his company.

Their encounter yesterday had ended with the other boy frustrated and fueled with negative emotions after Izuru explained his inferiority to him. Surely he would’ve felt humiliated enough to stay away after being reminded of his insignificance from someone far more superior than him, and yet the other boy chose to seek him out anyway, to _get to know him_ as he put it.

Izuru did not sense any ulterior motives and thus agreed, not having anything else to do anyway. Furthermore, he could use this opportunity to learn more of his origins. The other boy had made it clear that he’d been contacting their biological parents in an attempt to gain more information, which would either help confirm or deny his theories.

As he continued down the hall, he sensed the presence of two other people approaching from the opposite end of the hallway before they even reached his sights. He glanced over, immediately analyzing the two figures as they drew closer. Two females, both Ultimate Students, one of them with long, strawberry blonde pigtails, and round, falsely blue eyes. The other female had short black hair and sharper, light purple eyes. They both wore the uniform of main course students with slight alterations. Upon analyzation, Izuru knew who they were.

_Name: Enoshima Junko_

_Title: Ultimate Fashionista_

_Sex: Female_

_DOB: 12/24_

_Height: 169 cm (5'7")_

_Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)_

_Name: Ikusaba Mukuro_

_Title: Ultimate Soldier_

_Sex: Female_

_DOB: 12/24_

_Height: 169 cm (5'7")_

_Weight: 44 kg (97 lbs)_

Although they appeared to be normal Ultimate students, Izuru could sense something off about them both, especially from the blonde one. Her entire aura reeked of deception as well as something dark and sinister. For a moment they made eye contact, locking gazes as they analyzed each other. Izuru was not interested in interacting with them and so he shifted his gaze forward, attempting to walk pass them.

“Whoa, hold on there, hot stuff!” The blonde stuck an arm out in front of him, blocking his path. He stopped in his tracks, not pleased with the interruption. The blonde turned to him with a deceptively friendly smile. “And just who might you be good-looking? I haven’t seen you around before.” Her voice was cheery, flirtatious, and her movements seemed animated. Izuru did not respond and instead stared at her with disinterest.

“Ooh, playing hard to get, are you? That’s fine, besides, I already know who you are,” She leaned forward, closer to Izuru than he would’ve preferred. “You’re the legendary Kamukura Izuru, aren’t you? Wow, lucky me! Looks like I found the Ultimate Hope himself! Isn’t that exciting, Mukuro?”

“If you say so, sister…” The dark-haired girl’s demeanor remained rigid, on guard as if she were prepared for any sudden movement from him. Enoshima on the other hand seemed carefree.

“Say, you know what would be fun?” Enoshima’s smile stretched across her face, eyes growing dark. “If the whole school found out about the Steering Committee’s little pet project they have hidden beneath the school. Can you imagine the amount of chaos that could bring forth?”

Izuru knew not to underestimate the student before him; she seemed more intelligent and dangerous than most other people at the academy. He wouldn’t doubt it if she had done many destructive things or has wreaked havoc upon many others in the past. Even so, he was unbothered by her threat, not particularly caring for it.

He attempted to move past her again, only to be blocked by the dark-haired female who stood defensively by her side. He was beginning to feel annoyed by their presence, his eyes boring holes into the soldier’s.

“Move.” he commanded. Ikusaba—although her demeanor became slightly more tense—did not falter. She pulled out what appeared to be a combat knife, clutching it in her hand. He glanced at it briefly but was otherwise unfazed, knowing he could easily disable it from her if he wanted to.

“Relaaax, Mukuro,” The blonde rolled her eyes, seeming annoyed by her sister. “No need to get all serious on us. If he wants to leave, let him.” Enoshima turned her attention back towards Izuru with a playful expression on her face. “Just know, it would be a shame if something were to happen to this school’s precious Ultimate Hope. He should watch his back.”

“You are of no threat to me, Enoshima Junko,” he replied simply. “You are inferior.”

Ikusaba growled, seemingly annoyed by his comment.

“What did you just say to her?” The soldier readied her knife and lunged at him. “You take that back—!”

Without so much as breaking a sweat, he swiftly moved out of the way of the attack, the back of his hand connecting with her cheek and sending her crashing towards the ground. Ikusaba yelped and collapsed, her knife skidding towards the other side of the floor. Enoshima looked slightly surprised, but not the least bit concerned for her sister. Instead, she looked back at him with a grin, clapping her hands.

“Wow, you really sent her flying!” she exclaimed. “Sooo cool! Maybe you’re not so boring after all.”

He blinked at her, slightly surprised at how unbothered she was about her sibling being struck and possibly harmed. Enoshima seemed to notice this, tilting her head slightly to the side.

“Hmm, are you wondering why I’m not so worried about my sister? Why should I be? Seeing my own sister get tossed like a ragdoll by the Ultimate Hope himself—Hehehe, how thrilling! How hopeless! How… despair-inducing~”

Suddenly, her expression became more serious as she took a step closer and spoke again.

“You see, that’s how unpredictable despair can be. This feeling I get when something so horrible happens—it’s amazing! Despair is chaotic, messy, uncontrollable. It makes the world so much more fun and interesting!”

_Interesting?_

He thought about this, listening as she continued to speak.

“With that being said, you should totally join me! Ditch this boring hope you’ve been forced to pursue and join the side of despair instead! With you and I working together, we could finally turn this boring world into something more interesting! Something more chaotic! Something more despair-inducing!”

The pig-tailed girl giggled and squirmed, seeming ecstatic by the mere thought.

“I’m getting excited just thinking about it! What do ya’ say?”

He considered this for a moment. As of now, his life had been, simply put, boring. He could remember everything from the age of five when he was first being taught under the guidance of his teachers. Nothing ever posed a challenge for him and he realized that, despite having incredible talents and capabilities, it was all boring and meaningless. So the idea that the world could somehow become less boring did seem tempting…

Then he remembered Hajime. That’s right, he already had plans of his own to attend to. He wouldn’t be able to entertain Enoshima’s philosophy at this time, assuming he would anyway.

“I’m not interested.” he finally replied as he stepped past Enoshima and continued down the hall. She seemed slightly taken off guard by that response but quickly recovered, whirling around to his direction.

“Let me know if you change your mind!” Enoshima called out, then smirked – ignoring the pained groans from her sister as she got off the floor – and watched him disappear down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Even in this fanfic Mukuro can’t escape the backhand!  
> \- You know, I debated adding Junko to this fic, because apart of me just wants to write one big feel-good story. But I gotta keep things interesting, and what better way to do that then with a dash of DESPAIR?  
> \- Also, I don’t really know how to write Junko or Mukuro that well as I did not fully watch the anime or know a whole lot about them. I know in the games Junko has shifting personalities, but apparently that doesn’t start happening until she starts the whole tragedy thing? I don’t know but I hope my portrayal is at least somewhat accurate.  
> \- Next Update: 10/10/20


	4. Free Time

The following day marked the beginning of the weekend. Hajime woke up, blinking the drowsiness away as he rose out of bed and proceeded to go through his morning routine. One quick shower later, he was back in his room wearing a simple white-collar shirt and dark jeans.

_Finally, it’s the weekend. What a long week._

He sat on the edge of the bed and took out his phone, shooting a quick text to his friend while pulling on his sneakers.

_Nanami_

_8:13 AM_

_[8:13 am]_

**_You:_ ** _good morning Nanami_

_[8:14 am]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _gud morning Hinata-kun!_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _how was lunch yesterday with ur brother?_

_[8:14 am]_

**_You:_ ** _tbh it was kinda awkward but not too bad I guess_

 **_You:_ ** _I still feel bad about bailing on u tho_

_[8:15 am]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Hinata-kun, stop. U didn’t bail on me_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _u just met ur long lost twin brother for the very first time!! there’s no way I’d stop u from spending time with him. there’s plenty of other days we can have lunch together._

_[8:16 am]_

**_You:_ ** _ur right, I know_

 **_You:_ ** _I’m supposed to be meeting back up with him today but I’m not sure when or where_

_[8:17 am]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _couldn’t you text him?_

_[8:17 am]_

**_You:_ ** _he doesn’t have a phone_

_[8:17 am]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _oh_

_[8:17 am]_

**_You:_ ** _yeah_

Hajime was in the middle of typing out another text message while opening the door to his dorm room, only to look up and be immediately met with a pair of red eyes staring back at him.

“Ah—!” he startled, dropping his phone. “What the—Izuru?! What are you doing here?!”

Izuru's expression was blank, standing straight in the doorway like something out of a horror movie.

“We agreed to spend the day together.” he replied, unconcerned. 

“That’s not what I meant. How did you find my room? How long have you been standing right outside my door?”

“I’ve watched you enter these dormitories on previous occasions and was able to track down your exact room number. As for the time, I’ve been here for approximately seventeen minutes.”

“Hold on—you’ve been _stalking_ me?!” he looked at the other boy incredulously. “Izuru, do you have any idea how creepy that is?”

“How else did you expect me to meet with you today?”

“I don’t know, I figured you’d be waiting by that tree again or something!”

“It’s more time-efficient if I came directly to you.”

“You—“ Hajime stopped mid-sentence and sighed, rubbing his temple as he felt a headache coming on. Despite the other boy’s questionable behavior, he tried to be patient, otherwise he’d risk snapping at him again and falling into another argument. “…Never mind. Anyway, since you’re here, we might as well start hanging out.” After his initial shock subsided, he returned his attention to the boy in front of him. “So, what should we do today?”

Izuru gave the brunet an unimpressed look. “It was your idea for us to spend time with each other, yet you ask me what we should do?”

“I just thought you might have a suggestion…”

“I do not care what activities we partake in. Time passes the same regardless of what I do.”

“Alright then…” Hajime closed the door behind him and locked it. “Well before we do anything, we should probably get breakfast first. There’s a diner in town we can go to that I think is pretty decent. We can use the train station to get there.”

The other boy said nothing, stepping aside and allowing Hajime to lead the way as they walked out of the dormitory building. It was another warm day, the clouds in the sky only partially blocking out the sun. They both silently made their way to the train station, Hajime once again discomforted by the silence. He wanted to say something, but he was unsure of what to say to the twin. Izuru made no attempts at sparking up a conversation either, staring straight ahead as he trailed slightly behind Hajime. He had a feeling the raven-haired twin was not one for small talk.

Upon arriving at the station, they stopped and waited for the train. While waiting, he took a moment to examine the other. His expression was unchanging as he stared off into the distance, not looking particularly excited or eager to be here. His hair was still a mess of inky dark tendrils, spilling at his sides. Hajime had no idea how he could stand to have all that hair in this warm weather. He also just seemed to notice Izuru was still wearing his black suit.

“You’re going to wear that to the diner?” he questioned. “Don’t you have any other clothes?”

“No.” he replied flatly.

_Seriously, what’s with this guy?_

Shortly after, the train arrived and they both boarded it. The ride was quiet as the train moved. Some passengers were looking at Izuru warily or with interest but didn’t pay much mind to Hajime. Eventually, they arrived in town, getting off the train and heading towards the diner. One short walk later and they finally reached their destination, approaching a beige-colored building with a sign above labeled “Shinsen Orenji” written in Kanji.

“We’re here.” Hajime stated before entering the diner, Izuru trailing behind him. The aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air, easing some of the tension Hajime had been feeling and replacing his anxious thoughts with thoughts of food. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded this Saturday morning, with mostly couples and business associates occupying the booths and tables.

Hajime spotted an open booth near the front windows with no other occupants nearby to disturb them. Perfect. The brunet walked over to the table and sat down, watching as the raven-haired twin sat across from him. Then he picked up a menu, scanning over the options.

“What are you going to order?” he asked.

Izuru was gazing out the window when he replied. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Really?” He arched a brow. “Well, what do you like? Sweet? Spicy?”

“I do not have a preference.”

_Doesn’t this guy have an opinion on anything?_

He decided to order them both an assortment of grilled fish and rice, as well as some orange juice for himself and water for Izuru. Both of them sat in silence as they waited for the waiter to return, Hajime pretending to be interested in the menu while Izuru gazed out the window. Not long after, the waiter returned with their meals, placing them down in front of them before leaving. Relieved to no longer be sitting there awkwardly, he took a bite out of his food, savoring the light flavors. He wondered if the other boy was okay with the selection.

He glanced across the table to see the raven-haired twin eating slowly, mechanically bringing the chopsticks to his mouth as if he were performing a chore rather than enjoying his food. Hajime couldn’t tell if the other was displeased with the food or if he liked it and just didn’t show it. Or maybe he didn’t care for it?

“Does the food taste okay?” he suddenly asked without thinking.

Izuru finished chewing and swallowed before answering. “It is acceptable.”

“I see…” He looked back down at his food, tapping the ends of his chopsticks against the glass plate. His lips were tight, eyebrows creasing in frustration. Hajime wasn’t a very social or outgoing person and holding conversations wasn’t exactly his specialty. The person across from him appeared far worse in comparison, however, making this situation all the more difficult.

He wanted to talk about the other’s past, to know where he’d grown up, and maybe discover why they’d been separated from each other. But it felt too early to bring that up, neither of them that close to one another. Small talk didn’t seem very effective either, the other boy only offering brief responses or not responding at all. He was at a loss.

Still, he wanted to try. This was his brother after all. If he wanted any chance of getting to know him, he had to make an effort, no matter how unsure he felt.

“…How was your morning?” he asked, having no idea what other topics to discuss. Izuru looked disinterested as if he were expecting a question like that.

“Boring.” he replied. Hajime’s mouth opened to respond before he could stop himself.

“You say boring a lot,” he pointed out, a hint of frustration in his tone. “Isn’t there anything you like or enjoy? Hobbies? Interests?”

Izuru stopped eating and went silent for a moment, eyes fixated on his plate. Hajime watched him, feeling a sudden bit nervous and wondering if he had said something wrong. But as he thought about it, he realized that whenever the other boy went silent for this long, he either wasn’t going to respond or was deciding which words he wanted to use to respond with. The brunet guessed the latter and decided to patiently wait for the other as he took a sip of orange juice.

Eventually, Izuru looked back over at him and responded.

“I am not made to like or want,” he explained. Hajime felt slightly taken off guard by that confusing response but continued to listen. “When I was brought into this world, I was given a purpose, to be loved by talent and to bring hope to others. As a result of my perfect nature, everything becomes predictable and boring.”

Hajime’s brows furrowed and he stopped eating, processing what the other just told him. He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that response, but it sounded… wrong.

“That doesn’t make any sense…” he mumbled without realizing it. He saw one of Izuru’s eyebrows quirk slightly upwards.

“Was my explanation unclear?”

“No, it’s just—what do you mean you aren’t made to like or want? Are you saying that because of some purpose or whatever, your opinions don’t matter?”

“I am saying it’s simply not in my nature to like or want things,” Izuru clarified. “I am programmed mainly by logic. Likes, dislikes, wants, and emotions do not stand by logic.”

“You’re talking like you’re some sort of machine.” Hajime argued. He didn’t know why he was getting so worked up over this, it just didn’t sit right with him. He couldn’t understand it and it was beginning to frustrate him.

“Considering the basis of my nature, it wouldn’t be implausible to compare me to that of a machine,” Izuru remarked. “I was made to fulfill a singular purpose in which I continue to carry out, such as a machine is only made for its intended purpose.”

“No, that’s wrong,” he refuted, refusing to accept those words. “You weren’t born just to fulfill some purpose. You’re your own person. Just because you’re the Ultimate Hope doesn’t mean that’s all you have to be.” 

“That’s precisely what it means,” Izuru closed his eyes as if he were becoming annoyed by Hajime's persistence. “Perhaps that concept is too difficult for an unremarkable person like you to grasp.”

Hajime flinched, feeling a sudden pang in his chest. He fell silent, averting his gaze while subconsciously gripping his cup tighter. Izuru took that as the end of their argument and returned to eating, the sounds of chopsticks and quiet conversations from other patrons filling the background.

Irritation and doubt began stirring within him. This guy was supposed to be his twin brother, someone whom he held a connection to and could potentially bond with, and yet here he was acting like some deity sent to fulfill some higher purpose, too good to be wasting his time with someone like Hajime. He was beginning to question if he would ever understand his quiet counterpart or if maybe reaching out to this guy was a mistake…

He glanced back over at Izuru from across the table, examining him. He appeared to be finished, his tray and cup empty, and was now gazing out the window with a bored expression. He's supposedly super talented, yet he doesn't boast about it or seem very prideful of it. He just seemed… apathetic, like he couldn’t care less. Even when he was explaining his talent to the brunet, he sounded more like he was just stating facts rather than boasting about himself.

Hajime’s irritation seemed to settle down slightly as he considered this.

“I have another question,” Hajime suddenly spoke again. Izuru’s eyes lazily rolled over to meet his. “If you don’t like anything or have any specific interests, what do you do in your free time?”

Izuru stared at him for a short moment before returning his gaze towards the window.

“Wander,” he replied. “Observe other students. It isn’t particularly interesting, but occasionally something mildly interesting might occur, such as running into you.”

_So that’s what he was doing when I first met him? Just… wandering?_

He was unsure of what to make of that, his lips pulled tight and eyebrows creased as he fell deeper into thought. He remembered feeling something similar back before he met Nanami. He hadn’t had anyone to hang out with or anything to do rather than go to school, study, and sleep. He didn’t see a point in going back home either, knowing no one was waiting for him. Even his parents—whom he at least thought he could trust before this whole twin brother discovery—were never that involved in his life and would probably care less whether he decided to visit or not.

So he could somewhat understand that empty feeling, at least…

“Wow, that… sucks.”

“How so?”

“I mean, working all the time, then not having anything to do on your free time sounds… rough.”

Izuru was eyeing him again as if he were searching for something that Hajime wasn’t sure of. He shifted a bit in his seat, discomforted by the intense gaze, but remained firm as he prepared to say his next words.

“If you want, you could hang out with me and my friend during your free time. Her name is—“

“Nanami Chiaki.”

Hajime jumped in his seat, startled.

“Wha—? Wait, were you stalking _her_ too?!”

“Only while you two were together.”

Hajime stood up abruptly from his seat, palms pressed against the surface of the table.

“Okay, seriously, you can’t keep doing that! It’s one thing for you to stalk me, but you can’t just go around stalking other people! It’s really creepy, not to mention you could get into a lot of trouble!”

He pointed an accusatory finger at the twin as he rebuked him. Izuru was silent as he spoke, staring at him blankly like a child being scolded for reasons unknown to them. He didn’t seem to fully understand how disturbing his actions were even as Hajime explained it to him. It left him wondering just how little social interaction Izuru had. After he finished scolding him, Izuru closed his eyes, seemingly in thought.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.” he responded.

Hajime sighed and plopped back down in his seat, suddenly feeling worn out.

“Good.” He dropped the subject and finished the rest of his orange juice before waving the waiter over for the bill.

* * *

The morning at the diner had been somewhat informative. Apparently, observing someone from a distance without their knowing—or _stalking_ , as the other had put it—was considered _creepy_. He would be sure to make a mental note of this for future reference. After the twin had finished lecturing him, they proceeded to pay the bill and prepared to leave. The twin had offered to pay for both of their meals, but Izuru deemed this unnecessary considering he had plenty of money at his disposal, so instead, they split the bill into equal payments. 

After they left the diner, they boarded the train back towards Hope’s Peak Academy. As they were standing on the train, holding onto the hanging straps, Izuru noticed the twin was contacting someone on his smartphone via text message. Upon analyzation, it would appear he was talking to Nanami Chiaki, and by watching his right thumb push specific keys on the screen, he deduced that they were talking about himself.

He was unable to read the gamer’s response from his position without it being unsubtle, but by watching the movement of Hajime’s fingers, he could deduce that his messages went something like this:

_[9:14 AM]_

**_Hajime:_ ** _yeah we just left the diner. We’re on our way back now_

_[insert gamer’s response]_

_[9:14 AM]_

**_Hajime:_ ** _it was ok. A little awkward still_

_[insert gamer’s response]_

_[9:15 AM]_

_**Hajime** : yeah, maybe ur right _

**_Hajime:_ ** _hey u still down to play COD tonight?_

_[insert gamer’s response]_

_[9:15 AM]_

**_Hajime:_ ** _ok I’ll plug in my headset but… can’t we just talk thru party chat?_

_[insert gamer’s response]_

_[9:15 AM]_

**_Hajime:_ ** _fine but if I get into another argument with some 8 year old again I’m leaving_

As suspected, they must be close if he’s willing to divulge information about their meetings to the other, not to mention the amount of time they seem to spend together. He pondered this as they rode the train back towards the school. Some time afterward they arrived at the academy, stepping back onto the main course campus.

“I don’t have much planned today so,” The brunet turned to face Izuru. “How about we look around for a bit?”

“Very well.” Seeing no issue with that, he agreed. They both wandered around school grounds in no particular direction. Being the weekend, there weren’t a great many students lounging around, but there were still areas that remained occupied.

One of these occupied areas included the track field which he and the twin happened to stumble upon. There were a couple of groups occupying the field, sporting running clothes or casual wear. Nothing particularly interesting to see here, yet the twin had slowed to a stop, surveying the field as he seemed to be considering something.

“Hey, so… I wanna see if you’re really as talented as you say you are.” Hajime turned to face Izuru with a look of challenge. “How about a race?”

“You will not defeat me.” he replied simply.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Foolish. Nevertheless, he decided he would entertain the twin by accepting his challenge. He and the twin both took their positions at the start of the track field, standing atop of the white line. The other boy initiated the countdown.

“On your mark… Get set… Go!”

Izuru immediately took off in a sprint down the track field at what one might consider superhuman speed, quite literally leaving the other boy in the dust as a huge cloud erupted from the ground. He paid no mind to the gaping expressions he received from other students in the field, focused only on his objective, wind whipping past his face as he approached the finish line.

When he made it back around, he stopped at the line and waited for the twin to catch up. Sometime later, Hajime jogged towards the finish line, panting as he slowed to a stop.

“Holy crap, you weren’t kidding…” The brunet panted.

“I told you, you would not defeat me.”

Hajime took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again.

“Okay, would’ve I get a few second heads start?”

“I will still win.”

“I just wanna test it.”

Izuru looked at the other boy, pondering what his motives were, whether the twin actually thought he could beat him or if he only wanted to see Izuru’s talent at work. Regardless, he complied and retook his place back at the start line beside the twin. He allowed the other a few seconds to get a head start, watching the brunet take off down the field.

Not that it mattered, as he would still ultimately defeat him anyway. Exactly ten seconds later, he took off in a sprint, once again leaving the twin in the dust. Hajime coughed and slowed to a stop mid-run, not bothering to finish the race as he watched him achieve victory a second time.

The brunet turned around and returned to Izuru’s side by the line, resting his hands on his knees. He watched as the twin recovered himself, dust covering his clothes and partially staining his white shirt.

“Ugh, I think I got some dust stuck in my lungs.” Hajime coughed. “I’m gonna go fetch a water bottle, want one?”

“No thank you.”

“Okay, be right back.”

Izuru watched Hajime walk off and disappear inside the school building. Now completely bored, he took that time to close his eyes and contemplate. Though he didn’t get far as suddenly, he heard something whizzing towards him from behind. He quickly shot his hand behind his head and caught the object before it could him. Retracting his arm, he unclenched his hand and saw that it was a baseball with a scribble of a cartoon bear's face drawn onto it in black marker.

“Whoopsie! Didn’t see ya’ there.” A feminine voice came.

He turned around to see Enoshima approaching, blue eyes full of mischief.

“Kamukura-senpai! What a coincidence we run into each other again. Why, it’s almost like its fate.” she purred. “I’ve been thinking about you since yesterday. Did you miss me too?”

“No.”

“Ouch, you’re so cruel, senpai!” she smirked, tapping her cheek. “By the way, who was that dork you were hanging out with just now? Was that your boyfriend? I didn’t know you swung that way, Kamukura.”

“What do you want?” he replied, ignoring her mockery.

“Straight to the point, hm? Well at first I wanted to know why you were hanging out with some reserve course loser. Then it hit me! That loser almost looks like you. Ya’ know, like an uglier, wimpier, boring-er version of you! That’s when I realized…”

She leaned in close, staring him straight in his eyes.

“That loser is related to you, isn’t he? Let me guess, is he like, your long-lost brother?”

He stared at her wordlessly, eliciting a gleeful giggle from the girl.

“Wow, that is hilarious! The Ultimate Hope himself has a brother, and he’s some talentless nobody from the reserve course. Gee, I wonder how the other reserve students will feel about that. Maybe they’ll get jealous knowing one of their own has such an awesome super-talented Ultimate for a brother. Maybe they’ll beat him up, steal his lunch money, sabotage his schoolwork! Wouldn’t that be sooo despair-inducing?”

“I do not care about any of that.”

“Oh?” She pulled away, her stance and expression becoming serious. “You don’t care that your brother’s classmates may treat him badly if they find out his secret? If you don’t care about him then why are you hanging out with him?”

“…”

She was quiet for a moment, a blank expression on her face as she appeared to be considering something. Then she shrugged dismissively.

“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find out sooner or later anyway. In the meantime, have you reconsidered my offer?”  
  
“The answer is still no.”

“Ugh, come on! I know you’re bored, I can see it in those dead eyes of yours. Just give in to me, Kamukura. Come on, I know you want to. I’ll even let you touch my big boobies, is that what you want?” Enoshima used her arms to squeeze her chest together, batting her lashes at him.

Izuru did not dignify that with a response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- HaJiMe LikEs OrAnGe JuIcE!!!  
> \- The diner is named “Fresh Oranges” in Japanese (if that doesn’t translate well or is incorrect someone please let me know and I’ll correct it)  
> \- Hajime’s first debate with Izuru! (and it ends with Izuru being petty lol)  
> \- There was actually another important event that was supposed to occur in this chapter, but this chapter was becoming kind of long so I had to add it to the next chapter instead (the goal is to keep each chapter around 3000-4500 words)  
> \- Next Update: 10/17/20


	5. Izuru Has Joined The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small Note: As of 10/17/20 the estimated number of chapters this fic will have is 40 just to give a general idea of how long this fic will be. It may actually have less chapters than that but for now, the expected number is 40.

Hajime was on his way back to the track field holding two bottles of water. Even though Izuru had declined his offer, he figured he’d grab one for him in case he changed his mind. As he was heading back towards the field, he passed by a lab door slightly ajar. He didn’t think much of it until he heard a sudden shout coming from inside the lab, halting his movements.

“Crap!” A voice, seemingly a boy’s, growled in frustration. Hajime knew it was probably best to mind his own business, but curiosity got the better of him. He backtracked his steps and peeked past the cracked door and into the student lab. The room appeared to be a workshop from what he could tell, with wrenches, screwdrivers, drills, and other tools lining the wall. Machinery parts laid strewn about and the room itself smelled a mix of oil and sweat.

Hajime slowly creaked the door open further to get a better view. That’s when he noticed the bright orange car located in the center of the room, propped up with a car jack with someone’s lower body stuck out beneath the car. Upon closer examination, he realized the person was laying down on a creeper seat. The only part of the person he could see was the blue jumpsuit and white sneakers.

He probably shouldn’t be spying like this. He attempted to close the door and walk away, but the creaking seemed to have alerted the person underneath the car.

“Hey, is someone there?” The boy called out. He froze, realizing that he’d been caught.

“…yes?” he awkwardly replied.

“Oh good, could you pass me that wrench?” The repair boy pointed to a tool laying a few feet away on the floor, looking as if it’d been accidentally kicked too far out of its reach. He seemed completely unbothered by the fact that Hajime had been peeking in on him, which surprised him but was a bit of a relief. Maybe he was too focused on repairing the car to care.

“Uh, sure.” He stepped into the room and picked up the nearby wrench, walking over to the repair boy and kneeling beside him. He held out the wrench to him and the other boy took it while still beneath the car. Hajime could see oil stains on the other’s hand.

“Thanks, man,” The boy proceeded to tighten something beneath the car with the wrench. “I’ve been working on this car now for hours. Ever since I was assigned to design my very own car from scratch, I haven’t been able to stop, haha.”

“You built this whole thing yourself?” Hajime inquired. It was pretty impressive, he had to admit, especially if the repair boy had only started working on it today. Though that was to be expected from Ultimate students, he supposed.

“Sure did! Could you pass me that screwdriver?”

Hajime picked up the screwdriver, passing it to the repair boy. It would seem this was his temporary job now, passing tools to the unnamed student beneath the car. Though surprisingly he felt content, assisting whoever this person was while watching him work.

“So you like to fix things I assume?” he asked, hoping his questions weren’t breaking the other’s concentration.

He did not seem bothered by the questions however as he talked and worked simultaneously.

“Pretty much. Not only cars, either. I can repair generators, factory machines, airplane engines—any machine, really.”

“That’s pretty impressive.”

“Thanks! It sure as hell beats having to hire someone for repairs when you can just fix everything yourself. It’s also good for impressing the ladies~ Pass me those pliers.”

Hajime looked down to see three different sets of pliers, all of them shaped differently. His hand hovered over them, unsure of which one the repair boy needed which consequently made him feel a bit anxious. Eventually, he decided to trust his gut, choosing the toothiest-looking pliers and handing it to him.

He watched the other boy bring the pliers underneath the car and continue working, confirming that he had chosen the correct tool to his relief. A short moment later, the student finally slid out from beneath the car, revealing himself as he sat up. He had strikingly hot pink hair with thin, matching eyes and a black cap atop his head.

“Name’s Souda Kazuichi by the way. I’m the Ultimate Mechanic.” He grinned, revealing razor-sharp teeth that sort of reminded him of those pliers he just passed to him. “Nice to meet ya’.”

“I’m Hinata Hajime.” He smiled.

The other was looking at him expectantly. That’s when he realized Souda was probably waiting for him to tell him his talent. He suddenly felt self-conscious, worrying if the mechanic would feel put off once he realized who Hajime was. He averted his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m uh… from the reserve course.”

When he met Souda’s gaze again, his face didn’t give off anything close to disgust or disapproval. He just nodded before looking down at the water bottles in his hand.

“Oh, is that for me?” Before Hajime could protest, Souda took one of the bottles, unscrewed the top, and immediately chugged down half of it. When he was finished, he let out a satisfied exhale. “Ah, that’s just what I needed. Thanks, man! Hey, let’s be friends!”

“Uh, okay, sure.” He shrugged.

Souda grabbed a nearby checklist on a clipboard, flipped the list around, and quickly scribbled something down with a pen. Then he tore off a piece of the list and held it out to Hajime.

“Here’s my number. Let’s hang out sometime!”

* * *

Hajime returned outside and looked over at the track field, immediately spotting Izuru still standing near the area he had left him at. He felt relieved, worried the twin would’ve left after he kept him waiting longer than he’d intended. It was then that he noticed Izuru was talking to someone else, a girl with two big blonde pigtails. He couldn’t make out much of her from this distance, but by the time he got closer, the girl was already walking away, disappearing shortly after. He approached Izuru.

“Who was that?” he questioned.

“Nobody important.” Izuru dismissed. 

The two of them sat down by the nearest tree, bathing in the shade as they watched the other students run the track field. Hajime unscrewed the cap to his bottle, sipping the water and finally relieving his dry throat. He could see Izuru’s eyes on him in his peripheral vision, watching him as he drank the water. Anxiety crept beneath his skin, his hand gripping the bottle just a bit tighter.

He didn’t understand why the other boy would sometimes stare at him like this. Anyone else would consider this rude or creepy behavior. He also wasn’t sure if the other noticed how uncomfortable it was making him or if this was just another one of those social concepts he didn’t fully understand. If Hajime had to guess, he would say the twin probably did notice it was making him feel tense, but most likely didn’t care. Either way, he didn’t know how to call him out on it, so instead, he kept quiet and continued watching the other students run around the track field.

Hajime wasn’t sure if they had a good time today, but it didn’t seem too bad, at least.

* * *

Almost a week passed since that Saturday. Throughout the week, Hajime continued to spend time with the Izuru, though not much. Each day they would eat breakfast together at the table near the wisteria tree (he considered going to the diner again but realized his wallet could not support that) having short, often one-sided conversations. That was the only interaction they shared on the weekdays and almost every morning he showed up, he seemed just as disinterested as the previous day, hardly speaking to him at all. Yet the other boy still showed up anyway, so that must mean something, right?

When Friday night arrived, Hajime was on his bed, reading a manga he’d been meaning to catch up on when his phone suddenly vibrated. He set down the manga and picked up his phone.

_Nanami_

_7:21 PM_

_[7:21 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _hey hey_

_[7:21 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _hey Nanami_

_[7:22 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _I feel like we haven’t hung out in a while_

_[7:22 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _same_

_[7:22 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _we should hang out tomorrow_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _u should bring ur brother too_

Hajime thought about this, wondering if Nanami would feel creeped out by Izuru. That thought quickly vanished however as he knew his best friend wasn’t that judgmental. 

_[7:23 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _ok, I’ll bring him_

 **_You:_ ** _meet at the fountain?_

_[7:23 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yep yep_

_Ah, now would probably be a good time to do that other thing, too._

Hajime set his phone back down and went back to reading his manga, his thoughts lingering on tomorrow.

* * *

Izuru made his way to the wisteria tree as it was now customary to meet with the twin there since going directly to his dorm room whilst uninvited was deemed intrusive. He was typically the first to arrive, but this time it was the twin who had arrived first, standing beneath the tree while browsing his smartphone. He also noted that the brunet was holding a small, brown paper bag in his left hand. Upon noticing his arrival, he looked up from his phone.

“Oh hey, you’re here.” Hajime pocketed the cellular device and turned to face him. “So today I was thinking we could hang out with a friend of mine. Sound good?”

Nanami Chiaki, he assumed, would be the friend whom they would be spending time with. He was unsure of what to make of this suggestion, though he couldn’t see a reason to decline. She would most likely just bore him or be a nuisance at worst.

“Very well.” he replied noncommittally.

The two of them walked towards the fountain, the location the twin and gamer both frequently hung out. Upon arriving he immediately spotted the lilac-haired gamer waiting there, her eyes trained on the screen of the device in her hands that she appeared to be playing. She sported a slightly different attire rather her school uniform; she still wore her cream-colored hoodie but with a matching cream-colored skirt rather than a brown one, and a blouse with a pink ribbon attached. When she noticed the two of them, she lowered her device and smiled, waving them over.

“Hey hey, Hinata-kun.” The gamer greeted.

Izuru stopped a few steps behind Hajime, watching as the brunet approached her while he kept a fair distance from them both.

“Morning Nanami,” Hajime replied. “Hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve only been here for a few minutes… I think. I lost track of time while I was playing Gala Omega.”

The gamer turned to face Izuru, acknowledging his presence. He expected her to feel intimidated, perhaps wary of him. After all, he was a stranger to this girl and it would only seem logical that she be on her guard. Instead, he watched as the girl approached him, walking over until she was only a few feet in front of him. She examined him with big, curious pink eyes, her mouthed formed in a small ‘o’ shape as she did so. Then she looked back up, meeting his gaze.

“You really do look like Hinata-kun’s evil clone.”

He blinked.

“N-Nanami…” Hajime cleared his throat, heat rising to his cheeks. “That’s not… you didn’t have to say that.”

“Ah, right, sorry.” She looked at him apologetically. “I take that back. You don’t look evil, you just look mysterious. Like if you were a Pokémon, you’d be a dark type. Or if you were a Monster Card, you’d be Dark Magician… or maybe Red-Eyes Black Dragon.”

The gamer seemed to get lost in her own thoughts for a moment. She appeared a bit ditzy, Izuru noted. Then she redirected her attention back towards him.

“Anyway, you must be Hinata-kun’s brother, right?”

“That is correct.” he replied.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nanami Chiaki, the Ultimate Gamer.” she smiled softly, placing a hand on her chest.

“I am called… Kamukura Izuru, the Ultimate Hope.” In his peripheral vision, he saw the twin quirk his eyebrow at Izuru’s phrasing but said nothing.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know you today, Kamukura-kun. Oh, I also brought breakfast.” The gamer tugged her pink backpack off her shoulders and unzipped the bag, pulling out what he deduced was a breakfast burrito wrapped in aluminum foil and a water bottle. She handed the items to the twin then proceeded to do the same for him, holding out a burrito in one hand and a water bottle in the other.

He examined both items for a moment then looked up to meet the gamer’s gaze. Her expression was soft and friendly, not a hint of intimidation or discomfort to be seen. He could tell it was genuine, not the kind of expression where someone feigns friendliness in order to be polite, but in actuality do not wish to be near you. He looked back down at the burrito and water she was offering and accepted them both, taking them into separate hands. The burrito was warm—most likely just made from within the restaurant it came from—contrast to the cooler water bottle.

The three of them sat down on the bench by the fountain and ate, with him on one side, the gamer on the other, and the twin in between them. Hajime and Nanami were both engaged in conversation similar to the topics they discussed during Izuru’s observations of them a short while ago. Occasionally, Nanami would ask Izuru a question in an attempt to lure him into the conversation. He would offer her brief responses, saying no more than he needed to, then would return to silently eating the greasy, subpar breakfast burrito as he observed them both. The gamer didn’t seem to mind this, nor did she seem to mind his occasional staring as he observed her and the twin eating and interacting.

Once the three of them finished their meals, they gathered the remains and disposed of them in the nearest trash bin. Then Nanami asked him a question.

“Have you ever been to the arcade in town, Kamukura-kun?” she asked.

“I have not.” he answered. His teachers never assigned him to go somewhere as trivial as an arcade, so he never bothered to.

“It’s really fun. The three of us should go together.” she suggested.

“Sounds fine by me,” Hajime agreed. “We haven’t been there in a while anyway.”

The twin and the gamer both looked at Izuru as if seeking confirmation. It would seem that, for whatever reason, they valued his opinion on the matter. Truthfully, he did not care where they went or what activities they partook in. He only planned to observe them and analyze their relationship between one another, ergo the location did not matter. 

“I see no qualms with it.” he shrugged.

* * *

The small group boarded the train into town, arriving at the arcade approximately half an hour after their departure. Upon entering the building, he was immediately met with a variety of different lights and sounds. Before him laid rows of colorful machines, glowing screens, and neon lights. Buzzing, button mashing, and other electronic sounds were emitted. This was a place made for fun and entertainment, though Izuru had doubts that it would provide him with any enjoyment. After all, he could easily win any game this place had to offer.

The trio approached a coin exchange machine, exchanging money for coins, then proceeded to browse through the rows of games. Izuru trailed shortly behind them. 

“Now then, what should we try first? Hmm… Oh, I know.” Nanami led them to a machine with a glowing screen, the words “Street Fighter II” displayed on the front. She turned to face him with an excited expression.

“Hey Kamukura-kun, do you want to 1-v-1 me on Street Fighter?”

“You will not defeat me.” He warned, just as he warned Hajime during their race at the track field.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Hajime commented. “Nanami is the Ultimate Gamer after all, and she’s pretty good at this game too.”

“I play against Hinata-kun all the time, but I’m really excited to have a new opponent.” She bounced on her heels excitedly. “Well, Kamukura-kun? Will you play with me?”

Izuru looked at her eager expression and hummed. “Very well.”

Nanami took the left side as Player 1 while Izuru took the right side as Player 2, both of them inserting their coins. Hajime watched from the sidelines, curiously. She selected Ryu as her fighter while Izuru chose randomly and was selected with Chun-Li.

The match started and they both began. Nanami’s eyes were focused and determined while Izuru’s expression was blank but equally focused. They battled relentlessly, neither of them holding back. Each of Izuru’s moves were well-calculated, quickly adapting to Nanami’s fighting style and combating it accordingly. It was clear she was a skilled player with experience, but Izuru was smarter, quicker, and a better strategist.

Hajime watched the intense brawl with amazement, the sounds of quickly mashing buttons filling the air. Eventually, Nanami’s health drained completely and a “KO” appeared on the screen followed by a “PLAYER 2 WINS.” As expected, he had won. Izuru glanced at the gamer, expecting her to be disappointed, only to find that she instead looked exhilarated.

“Wow! That was really fun!” Nanami beamed at him. “You did so well for your first time playing.”

Izuru slightly quirked a brow. “Fun? Even though you lost with the one talent you have?"

"Well sure, losing can be frustrating. But I'm still glad I was able to play with you. GG, Kamukura-kun."

“That’s the first time I’ve seen anyone beat Nanami at this game.” Hajime added, seemingly impressed.

…How curious. Izuru had played videogames before, as directed by his teachers, and they all became boring rather quickly. Even this game hadn’t been particularly exciting, and yet…

“Hey hey, let’s go play some more games.” Nanami suggested.

The three of them continued to browse and play through different game selections, Nanami practically dragging him to each game alongside Hajime. He hadn’t anticipated how eager the gamer girl would be for his participation, despite him being practically a stranger to her. They played a few more competitive games in which Izuru defeated Nanami and completely obliterated Hajime whenever he tried to challenge him. Then they transitioned into Co-op games which were less competitive, but the twin and the gamer seemed invested regardless. They tried their luck in luck-based games as well, and as he predicted, Izuru won them easily with his Ultimate Luck talent (one of his more boring talents, he’d say).

At some point, Hajime challenged him to a dancing simulator where two players compete against each other by stepping onto colored platforms and following the patterns as seen on the screen. He flawlessly performed this as well, stunning Hajime with his movements while Nanami watched, giggling. A small crowd had also formed around them, seeming awestruck with his movements and cheering them on until the game was complete.

Overall, the games themselves had been mostly boring, however… playing alongside or against Hajime and Nanami had made it somehow less boring. He wasn’t entirely certain as to why that was. Eventually, they decided to end their session with the crane machines. The machines held merchandise within them, ranging from mystery eggs to plushies. Izuru wasn’t one for material items, finding most of them pointless, and chose to watch the other two attempt to win instead.

“These things are totally rigged.” Hajime clicked his tongue as he once again failed to win an item.

“That’s because the claws only hold tightly every three or four tries. I think I’m gonna win this time.” Nanami said, aiming for one item in particular.

She seemed determined to win one of the plushies, more specifically the plushie resembling a blackish-purple cat with an upside-down crescent moon symbol on its head. He supposed it wasn’t strange for a person to be fond of cutesy things, though _cuteness_ seemed quite pointless to him. Regardless, he watched as she made a third attempt at securing the cat plush, the claws of the crane weakly holding onto the head of the plush before dragging it towards the hole and dropping it.

“Ah, I got it.” She reached down, taking the plushie from the dispenser and holding it in her hands. She examined the plushie for a moment, gently squeezing it in her hands, then she giggled softly and turned to face Izuru. “This plushie reminds me of you, Kamukura-kun.”

He blinked a few times, examining her face as well as the plushie. He failed to see the resemblance. Then the gamer did something truly unexpected and held the plushie out to him.

“Here, this is for you.”

He looked at the gamer quizzically.

“You’re giving this to me?”

“Yep, it’s a gift. I want you to have it.”

Izuru glanced at Hajime who was watching nonchalantly, shrugging, then he looked back at the gamer.

“Why?” He didn’t understand the point of her offering something like this to him. Then the gamer’s smile broadened, that warm expression crossing her features yet again.

“So you’ll have something to remember the day the three of us officially became friends.”

He felt a flicker of surprise.

“…Friends.” he repeated.

“Of course. All three of us.”

Izuru was unsure how to place this warmth suddenly spreading throughout his chest. Nevertheless, he accepted the gift, taking the small plushie from her hands and examining it closer. It was soft with big, red eyes. He still didn’t see how it made Nanami think of him.

* * *

Afterwards, they headed back towards the school campus, the gamer eventually parting ways to return to her dorm room, leaving Hajime and Izuru to themselves.

“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hajime said before he began to walk away, only to stop abruptly in his tracks. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He turned back around to face Izuru and reached inside the small paper bag he’d been carrying all day. Izuru watched as he pulled out what appeared to be a smartphone and held it out to him. “Here.”

Izuru took the device in his hand, examining the black, rectangular smartphone.

“Now we can talk whenever and schedule our hangouts easier. I already set up a phone plan so you should be able to receive and send calls and texts. I’ll send you the account and payment plan information.”

Izuru was unsure of what to say, so instead, he chose to wordlessly nod. The brunet smiled and spared one last glance before walking off towards his dorm. Izuru stared down at the device for a moment before pocketing it and walking back towards the underground tunnels. After returning to his room, he looked down at the plushie in his hands and placed it on top of his desk. Not a minute afterwards he sensed someone approaching his room, the door opening.

“There you are,” The female teacher that frequently escorted him spoke. “Where have you been?” He chose to ignore the teacher’s question, not seeing a reason why he should tell her. The teacher sighed, irritated. “Fine then. Just be sure to come to the testing room in ten minutes. You have exams to complete.” The teacher left the room, closing the door behind her.

He was slightly annoyed at the fact that he had yet another boring exam to do, written tests that were supposed to evaluate his knowledge and ensure that his intelligence was still perfect. Of course it was. It always was, and yet the teachers felt the need to keep testing him anyway. Then he felt something vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out the smartphone, turning on the device. The screen lit up, a basic gradient wallpaper with geometrical shapes displayed. There was a notification at the top of the screen reading “1 New Message.” He tapped the message, opening it, and reading it.

_Hajime_

_3:51 PM_

_[3:51 PM]_

**_Hajime:_ ** _hey Izuru, just wanted to see if the service was working or not_

Right, the other had told him he’d added his contact number into the phone. Another message appeared.

_[3:52 PM]_

**_Hajime:_ ** _good, the message went thru. Now we can talk to each other whenever_

Izuru thought about this. It was certainly more convenient to communicate this way rather than meeting at the tree every day. He hadn’t expected the twin to gift him something this thoughtful. Another message appeared.

_[3:53 PM]_

**_Hajime:_ ** _u there??_

Izuru stared at the screen a little longer before touching it, typing out a response.

_[3:54 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _Yes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Yeeeah baby, Izuru has joined the party and is now officially part of the gamer squaaad!  
> \- Also Hajime meets Kazuichi Souda! Yes, this was the scene that was supposed to be added to the last chapter (as well as Hajime returning to the track field) but became too long. I apologize for the awkward pacing.  
> \- Also, anyone catch the reference with the plushie? ;)  
> \- Next Update: 10/24/20


	6. Lucky Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey, quick update. So the next two chapters after this one will be two-parters, which means “Chapter 7” will be “Part 1” and “Chapter 8” will be “Part 2.” That being said, since October is my favorite month and Halloween is my favorite holiday, I will be posting both parts within the same week. So instead of Saturday, the next update will be on Tuesday followed by another update on Saturday! :)

Hajime was at the fountain with Nanami for lunch, picking back up on their usual routine, only this time there was an added addition to their little group. Izuru was with them as well, spending lunchtime with the two of them. After their trip to the arcade, Hajime figured the three of them might as well keep hanging out together and Nanami didn’t seem to mind either.

Now the three of them were sitting at the fountain bench, eating their lunches and playing games on their Nantendos. Izuru didn’t have one of his own so Hajime suggested taking turns using his in which Izuru just shrugged and agreed, not seeming to care either way. After Hajime lost once again to Nanami, he held out his device to Izuru.

“Your turn.” he prompted. With indifference, Izuru set down his lunch tray, took the device in his hand, and proceeded to battle Nanami in Gala Omega. Izuru and Nanami seemed to be getting along well, to his relief. He was worried the twin might give her a hard time, but he hadn’t done anything especially rude towards her like insulting her or staring at her for uncomfortable lengths of time (unlike his treatment towards Hajime), so that was a good sign, probably.

Additionally, Nanami didn’t seem to mind Izuru or his antisocial behavior and treated him with the same friendliness she had shown Hajime. He wasn’t sure if this counted as progress, but it certainly seemed that way. As he pondered this, he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took out the phone, spotting a new message in his notifications.

_Souda_

_12:06 PM_

_[12:06 PM]_

**_Souda:_ ** _yoooo soul bro, wut r u doin rn??_

_[12:06 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _uuh, eating lunch?_

_[12:06 PM]_

**_Souda:_** _uh-huh that’s cool anyway meet me inside da school at Room 77 pronto_

_[12:06 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _what? why?_

_[12:07 PM]_

**_Souda:_ ** _becuz I need u 2 help me with something!_

_[12:07 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _well I can’t, I’m busy rn_

_[12:07 PM]_

**_Souda:_ ** _c’mon bro! it’s an emergency! it’ll only take a sec!_

 **_Souda:_ ** _brooooo don’t leave me hangin! :( :( :(_

 **_Souda:_ ** _THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION HINATA!!!_

_[12:08 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _somehow, I doubt that_

 **_You:_ ** _but fine, I’ll do it if you stop spamming my inbox_

_[12:08 PM]_

**_Souda:_ ** _I knew I could count on u!_

He had mentioned to Nanami about running into a repair boy with pink hair and shark teeth. Turns out, that repair boy was actually in her homeroom class. Since then the mechanic has been texting him every so often and half the time it was about some girl in his class he always referred to as ‘Miss Sonia’ or something like that.

Hajime sighed, pocketing the phone. “I’ll be right back. Souda wants me to help him with something.”

“Okay, Hinata-kun.” Nanami's eyes were glued to her Nantendo as she engaged in another intense match. Izuru said nothing in response, eyes trained to his screen as well. With that, Hajime left off towards the main course building.

* * *

Hajime passed through the halls, trying to be as discreet as possible. He was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to be in here, especially during school hours, but Souda had insisted he come so at least if he got in trouble the mechanic would back him up… probably. Eventually, he spotted a door labeled 'Room 77'.

_Ah, this must be it._

Hajime stopped in front of the door as realization dawned on him. He was about to walk into a room potentially full of Ultimate students. That was kind of an unnerving thought. Why was he doing this again? He could just walk away, return to the fountain, and tell Souda that he couldn’t make it after all. But that would be pretty cowardly, he mused. So with a breath, he steadied himself and gave a tentative knock before turning the doorknob and stepping inside the classroom.

The first thing he noticed was a set of hot pink hair sitting at a desk, looking as if he were impatiently waiting for someone as he eyed two other people in the room. The two people in question were near the back of the room, one blonde girl and the other a… strange-looking boy with dark hair. Hajime was surprised to see very few students in the classroom, but it made sense considering all the other students were probably in the cafeteria eating their lunches or just hanging out elsewhere. Even the teacher was not present which meant he could avoid any potentially awkward confrontations with them.

It was then that Hajime noticed one other person in the room sitting at a desk somewhere near the front of the class. It was a boy, pale and slender looking with a mess of white, untamed curls on top of his head. His elbows were planted atop his desk, chin resting on the back of his pale hands. Briefly, he made eye contact with him, greyish-green eyes locking onto his. Hajime felt a chill run through his spine, of what he wasn’t sure, but before he could react, he heard a voice call out to him.

“Hinata, bro! There you are!” Hajime’s eyes flickered over to meet Souda’s as he stepped in front of him, blocking his view from the boy at the desk. He brought his attention back to the mechanic, remembering why he came here in the first place.

“Hey Souda,” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, what’s this emergency you were on about?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Souda wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer. He pointed across the room. “You see that girl over there?”

Hajime turned his head to where he was pointing and spotted the blonde girl still chatting with the strange-looking guy.

“That girl is Miss Sonia-san. She’s the Ultimate Princess and also the most beautiful, elegant, kind girl in the whole school.”

So that’s the girl Souda was always talking about in their text messages. Still, Hajime didn’t see how that concerned him.

“Okay? So, why am I here again?” he questioned.

“Because I need you to be my wingman and help me impress Miss Sonia!”

Hajime threw the other boy an incredulous look.

“ _That’s_ the big emergency you kept bothering me about?”

“Yeah, dude, this is an emergency! I’ve been trying to impress her since school started but nothing’s worked. But with my wingman around, I might have a chance, and then she’ll finally go out with me!”

“…I’m leaving.” Hajime turned around to leave the room.

“Awe, what? Wait, Hinata!”

As Hajime was exiting the door, he suddenly came face-to-face with a different pair of vibrant pink eyes, causing him to gasp and jump in alarm. It was another student, a girl with multi-colored hair, two horns atop of her head, spiky earrings, and piercings beneath her bottom lip. If he had to describe her, he would say she looked like some sort of rock star. She must’ve just walked in behind him, because he definitely would’ve noticed her had she been in the room earlier.

“Hai there!” The wild-looking girl beamed. “Ibuki’s never seen you around before!”

Souda sighed, walking up beside him. “Hinata, this is Mioda, the Ultimate Musician.”

“That’s right! _I_ , _Buki_ , _Mio_ , _Da_! Put it together and what do you get? _Ibuki Mioda_!" She gushed. “Soooo who’re you?”

“Um, I’m Hinata Hajime. Nice to meet you.” he replied.

“Hajime-chan! Ibuki will say that name in her head over and over so that she doesn’t forget!” Mioda closed her eyes, looking to be in deep concentration as she quietly chanted “Hajime-chan” over and over.

_She's so energetic..._

“Ah, you don’t have to, uh…”

“Just let her do her thing. She’ll get bored of it eventually.” Souda said. Then he gasped, squeezing Hajime’s shoulder. “Ah, Miss Sonia’s coming this way! Quick Hinata, get ready to do the wingman thing!”

“W-wait, what am I even supposed to do?” Hajime protested.

But there wasn’t any time to discuss that as he turned his head to see the blonde lady and the strange guy approaching them. He could examine the two of them better now that they were closer, and from what he could tell, the girl appeared to be a foreigner with sparkling blue eyes, white porcelain skin, and long, blonde hair that glittered like fields of wheat. He could see why Souda would be attracted to her. Still didn’t excuse his behavior though.

“Miss Sonia, over here!” Souda waved her over.

“Hello, Souda-san.” she greeted. Her eyes then landed on Hajime’s, a gentle smile growing on her face. “Oh, why hello there! My name is Nevermind Sonia, and my title is the Ultimate Princess. I am a foreign exchange student from a small European kingdom called Novoselic. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ultimate Princess… that made sense. But even knowing she’s a princess, he felt strangely at ease

“Ah, likewise.” Hajime returned the friendly smile. 

“And I am Tanaka Gundham!” A thunderous voice boomed, coming from the strange-looking boy who stood beside the princess. The boy had mismatched gray and red eyes, a jagged scar running across one eye which Hajime couldn’t tell was real or not. He had gray streaks in his black hair, two small earrings in his ears, and a long purple scarf around his neck. He was certainly interesting in both appearance and voice. “May you never forget it as long as you live! Remember it well, for it is the name that will one day rule this world!”

Rule this world? Was he joking or was he being serious? How does he respond to that?

“R-right…” Hajime replied sheepishly. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both.”

“And what do we have here?”

With the sound of yet another new voice approaching, Hajime was beginning to wonder exactly how many people he was going to meet today. He looked over to see the white-haired desk boy approaching the group. Now that he was closer, Hajime could see faint pink tips at the ends of his hair, gradually fading from its roots. He also noticed that he was just slightly taller than him, wearing the standard school uniform along with a green and red sweater beneath it. His face was calm, greyish-green eyes locking onto Hajime’s once again.

“Hinata Hajime, was it?” he said, voice as calm as his face.

“Ah… yeah.” he replied lamely, too caught up trying to figure out what to make of the boy in front of him. The pale boy examined him from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze, making Hajime feel a little self-conscious. Then he looked back up, meeting his eyes again.

“I’m Komaeda Nagito. Nice to meet you.”

 _Komaeda_ … _that name sounds familiar_

That’s when he remembered Nanami mentioning that name a while ago, back when they were first talking about the rumors of Kamukura Izuru.

“Ah, you’re the guy Nanami told me about.” Hajime pointed out with sudden interest.

“It would seem so. And you’re that student Nanami-san is always talking to me about… from the reserve course.”

Komaeda’s face was neutral, the previous polite smile nowhere to be seen. Hajime suddenly felt tense, lips growing tight as he felt the air between them change.

“That’s right… is that a problem?”

“Not necessarily," Komaeda shrugged. "I’m simply curious to see what it is about you that has Nanami-san so captivated. But it’s none of my business after all, Hinata-kun.”

Hajime wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but before the situation could get any more awkward, Souda stepped back in.

“Don’t mind him, Hinata. He’s a weirdo.” Souda said. “Anyway, enough about Hinata! Miss Sonia-san, may I have the honor of spending the rest of lunchtime together with you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Souda-san, but I’m afraid I already have plans.” she dismissively replied.

“Plans?” he whined. “What plans?”

“Tanaka-san and I are going to visit the gymnasium together! There he will show me all the tricks his Four Dark Devas can do!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“That’s right, mortals!” Tanaka smirked. “My Four Dark Devas are going to put on a miraculous performance during this very hour! You are all welcome to come if you wish to bear witness to such greatness!”

With that, Nevermind and Tanaka both made their way out of the classroom.

“Ooh, Ibuki wants to watch!” Mioda beamed as she followed behind them, excitedly bouncing out of the room.

“Yeah right, those dumb hamsters can’t be all that great. Come on, Hinata!” Souda huffed and grabbed Hajime’s wrist, forcefully tugging him along

“H-hey, wait a second—!” But Hajime’s protests were ignored as he was dragged out of the classroom. He barely caught a glimpse of Komaeda eyeing him on their way out the room.

* * *

Izuru had defeated Nanami in yet another round of Gala Omega.

“Ah, you win again, Kamukura-kun.” Nanami smiled. “You’re a tough opponent, but I’m determined to keep trying. I bet I’ll beat you eventually.”

He hummed in response and closed his eyes, lowering the device as he fell into thought. He still didn’t quite understand this girl sitting beside him. She was quick to accept Izuru as her new friend despite knowing very little about him. This could be simply due to naivety as she does appear somewhat gullible. Or perhaps it’s his relation to Hajime that has her feeling so at ease, which brings him back to the question of why the two of them hold such a close companionship with one another despite their differences. She seemed to notice him contemplating and lowered her device as well.

“Oh, do you want to take a break?" she asked. "It’s probably a good idea for us to finish eating our lunches. I tend to forget sometimes…” 

He reopened his eyes and looked at the lilac-haired girl.

“Why do you hang out with Hajime?” he questioned.

“H-huh?” She seemed startled by the sudden question, a slight tint of pink rising to her cheeks. “What do you mean?”

“You are an Ultimate. Hajime is a talentless and relatively unremarkable person. He is beneath you.”

A small gasp escaped her lips.

“That’s not true, Kamukura-kun!” she protested, frowning. “Hinata-kun isn’t beneath me. He’s my best friend and I would never think of him like that.”

“Even though he possesses no talent or any exceptional skills?”

“People are worth more than whether or not they have a talent, Kamukura-kun.” She raised a finger to the air as if she were ready to defend her friend with her life. “Besides, he has a lot of other good character stats. He’s a great listener, and always fun to play games with, plus he’s really kind and caring.”

“Hmm…” He considered these words for a moment shortly before a notification sounded from Nanami’s phone. She pulled out her phone, looking over the text, then giggled in response to it. Izuru briefly saw the message displayed on the screen.

_Hinata-kun_

_12:21 PM_

_[12:21 PM]_

**_Hinata-kun:_ ** _your class is crazy Nanami help me_

She stood up from her seat, collecting her bag and lunch tray.

“I have to go. As class rep, I promised my teacher I’d help her with the upcoming Sports Festival preparations before lunch is over. Could you tell Hinata-kun I had to leave?”

He nodded and stood up as well. Then she turned to leave, only to stop in her tracks, turning back around to face him.

“You shouldn’t underestimate Hinata-kun. You might not think much of him now, but I bet he’s going to surprise you.”

He blinked, watching her.

“…We will see.” he replied.

She smiled and waved goodbye, walking off towards the main building. Izuru watched her leave until she was out of sight, then glanced down at the Nantendo in his hand. He should return this to Hajime. With that objective in mind, he left towards the Main Course building.

* * *

Hajime was heading down the hall alongside Souda after their trip back from the gym.

“I can’t believe Miss Sonia fell for that dumb animal show,” Souda grumbled. “It wasn’t even that cool…”

What started as a performance with Tanaka showing off his pet hamsters’ moves somehow escalated into birds, frogs, snakes, and other small creatures being added to the show as well. He had no idea where they came from, but the performance had been admittedly impressive, albeit hectic. They continued down the hall, rounding a corner when they suddenly came face-to-face with someone.

“I’m telling you Hinata, someday I’m going to be the one impressing Miss Son– GAAAAAAH!!” Souda jumped in surprise, hiding behind Hajime and clinging to his shoulder. He looked over to see what had alarmed the mechanic, only to see his red-eyed twin standing before them. “Holy crap! Hinata, who is that creepy guy and why does he look like you?”

Hinata ignored Souda and instead looked at Izuru who was staring blankly, unfazed by the mechanic’s outburst.

“Hey Izuru, I was just on my way back. Where’s Nanami?”

“She had business to attend to.” Izuru held out the blue Nantendo device towards Hajime. The brunet blinked, nearly forgetting he had lent the handheld console to the twin.

“Oh, right. Thanks.” He took the device back and tucked it away.

“Wait a minute, is this your brother?” Souda gaped. “You didn’t tell me you had a brother, Hinata!”

The repair boy was eyeing him as if he had just betrayed his trust while still clinging onto his shoulder.

“Um, sorry? I guess it never came up…” Hajime shrugged. Then he realized he should probably introduce them to each other. “Uh, Souda, this is my twin brother, Kamukura Izuru. Izuru, this is my friend, Souda—”

“And he’s your _twin_?!” Souda whined, completely ignoring the rest of the introduction. “Man, how am I supposed to be your best _soul_ bro when you have an _actual_ bro? I can’t compete with that!”

“It’s not a competition, Souda. Besides, we’re not that…”

Hajime was about to say ‘close _’_ but for some reason, he hesitated. Maybe it felt rude to say something like that in front of the other twin, or maybe he just felt that wasn’t an important detail that Souda needed to know. Whatever the reason, he didn’t have long to ponder on it when suddenly, a voice came from down the hall.

“Wow, another unexpected surprise! Today must be my lucky day!”

Hajime and Souda both turned around to see a white-haired boy coming from down the hall. He recognized him from earlier, the boy whom he had met in Class 77’s room and had also seen in the gym during Tanaka’s performance. Komaeda was walking towards them, his eyes fleeting from Hajime’s to Izuru’s and back to Hajime’s. He was unsure of how to feel about the pale boy’s sudden presence. What was he even doing here? Did he follow them?

“Hinata-kun, how coincidental it is for us to run into each other again.” Komaeda smiled, but Hajime had a feeling it was only to be polite. Then he turned his attention towards Izuru who seemed bored with this entire situation.

“Ah, I recognize you. I’ve seen you before, but I have yet to properly meet you in person.” He slipped passed Hajime and Souda (a bit rudely, Hajime noted) and stood in front of Izuru. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re _the_ Kamukura Izuru, the person from the rumors who lurks within Hope’s Peak.”

Izuru didn’t respond, merely staring at the cotton-haired boy neutrally. Komaeda didn’t seem bothered by the lack of response, instead clasping his hands together in admiration.

“Wow, I can sense how much potential for hope you have radiating from you.” Komaeda praised. Hajime felt like he heard something like that before. “Someone like you… If I had to guess, you must be incredibly talented. How lucky it is for someone like me to be meeting you today!”

“How boring…” Izuru disregarded.

Komaeda blinked.

“Oh? Am I boring you? I deeply apologize, trash like me shouldn’t be wasting the time of someone so important.”

_Trash like him…?_

“With that said, I won’t be wasting much more of your time. I only wanted to say farewell to Nanami-san’s friend, but had I known I’d be meeting her friend’s relative as well, and that his relative would be the legendary Kamukura Izuru, well… I wonder if this truly is good luck.” 

Komaeda’s eyes landed on Hajime again, a thoughtful expression on his face. Hajime wasn’t sure if he was being passive aggressive or what this guy was hinting at, but it was certainly starting to annoy him. Souda groaned and rolled his eyes as if this behavior was something he was familiar with.

“Alright, alright, enough of this,” Souda grumbled and turned to Hajime. “We’re gonna head back to class now before Komaeda starts rambling on all day. Thanks for helping me today, Hinata. I’ll catch ya’ later!”

“Yeah, see ya’.” Hajime nodded.

“Goodbye, Hinata-kun. Goodbye, Kamukura-kun." Komaeda waved nonchalantly as he was dragged off by Souda. "I hope we meet again…”

Hajime and Izuru both watched as Komaeda disappeared into the distance.

“I feel like that guy is gonna be really troublesome…” Hajime mused.

“Agreed.” Izuru said.

At least that was something they could both agree on. Though, troublesome as he may or may not be, Hajime found himself feeling curious about him, too. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask him about his talent. He’ll have to remember to ask the next time he sees him.

* * *

It was early evening as Izuru passed through the empty halls towards the underground tunnels. As he was rounding the corner, he stopped to see a familiar set of blonde pigtails belonging to none other than Enoshima. She was alone in the hallway, her back casually leaned against the wall, one foot over the other as she examined her red-polished fingernails. It would seem she was waiting for him.

“About time you showed up.” She pushed herself off the wall, turning to face him. “You sure do spend a lot of time doing nothing, ya’ know that? As a fellow analyst, I don’t see how you can survive that boredom.”

Izuru did not respond to that.

“I see you’re still hanging out with that reserve course student,” She stepped closer to him, once again invading his space much more than he’d prefer. “That brother of yours… He’s the reason you declined my offer, isn’t he?”

“…”

“I knew it. So you’re clinging to your precious brother in hopes that he’ll soothe your everlasting boredom, is that it? Pfft, come on Kamukura, get real! You really think that nobody’s gonna bring any sense of enjoyment in your life? You think he’s capable of making you _feel_ anything?”

Izuru felt something twist inside of him with each word she spoke. He stood still, eyes following her as she slowly began to circle around him, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor.

“What’s so good about having a twin anyway? I have one and she’s utter garbage.” She reached her hand out towards him, red nails raking through his hair and twirling strands around her finger, playing with it. His body grew tenser, the twist in his gut becoming more apparent. “Don’t you see? You and your brother are no different from me and Mukuro. One is superior and the other is inferior in every way. It’s just that simple. You may think you’ll find something of interest with him, but you won’t.”

Enoshima’s words sunk into his mind like poison. He found himself unsure of what to say or how to respond. It was as if there were a void in him, growing wider with each word she spoke, threatening to overcome him. He was reminded of the feeling – or rather the lack of feeling – he’s experienced all his life. It hadn’t been as strong, as _unbearable_ these past few weeks as it usually was, but it still lingered within the back of his mind.

If his relationship with Hajime were truly like Enoshima’s and Ikusaba’s, then wouldn’t it be logical to assume that he’ll grow completely bored of him just as Enoshima has grown bored of her sibling? As if reading his thoughts, she pulled her hand away from his hair and stopped in front of him, her face falling blank and her expression darkening.

“You will get bored with him eventually. It’s only a matter of time. And when you do, I’ll be waiting.” Enoshima turned on her heels and waved as she walked away. “See ya’ later Kamukura-senpai~!” 

Izuru watched as she disappeared down the hall, leaving him, much like the corridors, with emptiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Here comes Hope Trash Nagito! Truthfully, I’m much more familiar with game Nagito than I am anime Nagito, and that may or may not affect his characterization in the story. From what I heard, anime Nagito comes off as more… softer compared to game Nagito, or more charming? I don’t really know how to describe it, but there appears to be some differences between the two. I’ll try my best to remain accurate to both his depictions in the anime and game, but just know that as I’m writing this, I’m mainly thinking of game Nagito simply because I’ve seen the games before I saw the show and I’m more familiar with that interpretation.  
> \- We also get to meet a few more fun characters of Class-77, all of which I adore.  
> \- Sports Festival coming soon??  
> \- Next Update: 10/27/20


	7. Sports Festival Part 1

July arrived at Hope’s Peak Academy, and with it, the upcoming Summer Sports Festival. The festival was a lively event made for Ultimate Students to compete in a variety of different sports activities. Other students and staff members were welcomed to watch and cheer them on with refreshing beverages and treats available for purchase at nearby food stands.

Hajime hadn’t initially planned on attending the festival but Nanami had invited him to join her. She also suggested asking Izuru if he’d want to join them too. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if the other boy was interested in competing in the sports events or even attending the festival at all, but he figured there was no harm in asking. The two of them have been spending a fair amount a time together, although if he were being honest, he wasn’t sure if they were making any progress in their relationship.

After their visit to the arcade, Hajime thought they’d gotten at least somewhat closer, leaving the awkward, you-still-feel-like-a-stranger-to-me phase. When Izuru began eating lunch with both him and Nanami, he felt as if this point was further proven. But even though they’ve been hanging out for a little over a month now, their relationship felt… stagnant.

They both had yet to discuss anything involving their past or their family connection—he wasn’t even sure if he was ready to discuss it with the other twin or not. Talking to him was a hard task, so much that even casual conversations seemed like a difficult feat to accomplish. Not to mention the aloof boy didn’t seem to have any interests and hardly enjoyed doing anything, which made trying to connect with him all the more challenging. Hajime wasn’t used to going so far out of his way to connect with other people. Normally, if he couldn’t understand someone or if they didn’t want to be bothered with him, he’d leave them be.

But this was his brother, and despite everything, he really did want to understand him.

He met up with Izuru that morning at the table near the wisteria tree, the sun glaring down on them on this particularly sunny day. Both of them were seated as they ate their breakfast. Hajime glanced across the table, watching the twin’s mechanical movements as he wordlessly ate. He supposed now was a better time than any to ask him about the festival.

“The Summer Sports Festival is today,” Hajime began, initiating the conversation as he usually does. “I heard a lot of Ultimates will be there competing against one another. Are you competing too?”

Izuru’s eyes were downcast, using his chopsticks to move a stray piece of rice back into his bowl. He seemed completely disinterested in the topic.

“I will not be participating.” he disregarded.

“Oh…” Hajime took a bite of his apple, the sound of crunching filling the air. “Well, do you want to watch the festival with me and Nanami? It could be fun. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, though...”

The raven-haired twin was silent for a moment. As Hajime looked at him from across the table, he couldn’t help but notice that he suddenly seemed… annoyed, or rather disappointed about something.

“Very well. Though I highly doubt it will be enjoyable, I will join you.”

Hajime said nothing in response to that, feeling slightly concerned. The rest of their breakfast was eaten in silence.

* * *

The festival was packed, nearly every student within the main course and reserve course having shown up. Students were scattered all across the campus in groups and pairs, a mood of excitement filling the air. Some students carried bottles of water or cold treats to complement this hot day. They headed towards the track field, Izuru trailing even further behind Hajime than usual as they passed through the excited crowd.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the track field. Within the field, they appeared to be setting up for a racing event. There were pairs of students lined up near the starting line, some casually chatting while others were stretching, preparing for the race. A second later, Hajime turned his head to see a familiar lilac-haired girl rushing over, slowing to a stop in front of them.

“Hey hey, Hinata-kun. Hey hey, Kamukura-kun.” Nanami greeted. “You both made it.”

“Of course.” Hajime gestured towards the track field. “Is this where you’ll be competing?”

“Yep, I’ll be competing in the Three-Legged Race with Nevermind-san. It’s my first time ever doing a three-legged race though, so I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you’ll do great. You’re one of the most determined people I know, plus you’re great at competing in games, right?”

“Maybe in videogames. But this is a real-life game, and I don’t know if my stats are high enough to win this one…” She tugged on the straps of her bookbag worriedly.

“Well, even if they’re not, I know you’ll still try your best, and that’s what counts, right?" Hajime gave her a reassuring smile. "And who knows? You might just get first place anyway.”

Nanami looked at him with slight surprise, then smiled back. “You’re right. I’m going to do my best!”

With fists clenched and a determined expression on her face, Nanami ran back towards the track field. Hajime smiled, watching her.

“She will lose.”

Hajime turned his head in surprise at the sound of Izuru’s voice. His arms were crossed, gazing out at the group of contestants on the track field with an expressionless face.

“What do you mean?” Hajime frowned.

Izuru lifted his hand, pointing towards the field. Hajime turned his head to see that he was pointing at two girl contestants. The first girl had lighter skin and short, black hair, sporting a pair of camouflage shorts and boots. The second girl had tanner skin and brown hair, tied into a high ponytail with a curl at the end, also wearing shorts as well as a tank top.

“That student is the Ultimate Solider and the other student is the Ultimate Swimming Pro," Izuru explained. "They are the most athletic compared to the other contestants. I predict they will win.”

“You don’t know for sure they will win…” Hajime replied.

“Perhaps. But the probability of them losing is low. In fact, I can predict exactly how this will play out.”

Hajime wasn’t sure what to say to that. The two of them stood near the crowd of spectators, watching as the referee began the countdown. As soon as the whistle blew, the contestants all took off running in pairs, legs strapped together. The crowd cheered in excitement, rooting for the racers. Hajime’s eyes were on Nanami and Nevermind as they ran alongside the other contestants, setting a decent pace for themselves. He cheered them on, giving shouts of encouragement towards them. Izuru, on the other hand, was quietly spectating.

The soldier girl and the swimmer girl were in the lead, both of them moving faster than the other racers while also maintaining a balance between each other. Just as they reached the finish line, the soldier’s eyes met with Hajime’s. Purple eyes locked onto his, narrowed and intense. He felt a strange sense of confusion and discomfort from the look she was giving him. Then as soon as they crossed the finish line, the crowd erupted into cheers and the small, peculiar moment passed. He turned his attention back to Nanami and Nevermind who were coming up towards the finish line. They barely made second place having almost been outran by another pair of students.

“Ah, second place. They were pretty close.” Hajime said.

“It ended exactly as I predicted,” Izuru closed his eyes. “How boring…”

Hajime frowned and was about to respond to that until he saw Nanami and Nevermind approaching in his peripheral vision.

“Hinata-san! It is good to see you again!” Nevermind happily greeted.

“Ah yeah, good to see you too.” he smiled. “I saw you racing out in the field. You both did great out there.”

“Thanks! We got a lot farther than I expected. We even made second place!” Nanami beamed. “Thank you for cheering us on, Hinata-kun. Oh, Kamukura-kun, were you watching too?”

“I was.” He replied.

“Which event will you be participating in?”

“The outcome will remain the same no matter which event I participate in. Ergo, it is pointless for me to participate.” He turned back towards the field dismissively.

“Oh, I see…” Nanami was smiling, but there was a tinge of worry in her tone and expression.

Hajime couldn’t help but feel worried too.

* * *

After the race, the three of them decided to stop by the stands for a snack. There were various stands located outside in the fields, ranging from sweet treats to cool beverages. Nanami spotted a stand selling cream puffs and suggested trying out that one. As they approached the cream puff stand, they saw two people standing in front of it. One of them was a guy, big and bulky with muscles that could probably take on a gorilla. The other person was a tall girl with tan skin, brown hair, and also seemed to have an athletic physique. 

“Hey, Owari-san. Hey, Nidai-kun.” Nanami greeted.

“Oh hey Nanami!” The girl - whose name Hajime assumed was 'Owari' - turned towards Hajime and Izuru, mouth stuffed with creampuffs. “Oh hey, who’re you dudes?”

“Hello, I’m Hinata Hajime.” he smiled. “Nice to meet you—”

“Hold it right there!” The guy shouted, startling him. “Your voice is too soft! Let your voice rise from the bottom of your stomach!”

“U-um… I’m Hinata Hajime!”

“You can be louder than that! Do it again!”

“My name is Hinata Hajime! Pleased to make your acquaintance!”

“There you go! Now then, I AM NIDAI NEKOMARU, THE ULTIMATE TEAM MANAGER!!! Don’t forget it, even if you go to hell!” Nidai turned towards Izuru, pointing. “And you! You’ve been quiet this whole time. Are you just gonna stand there or are you going to tell me your name? Go on, shout it with all your might!”

“…” Izuru stared blankly.

“Um, this is my brother, Kamukura Izuru.” Hajime sheepishly said.

“GAH-HAHAHA! I see. You’re a man of few words, I can respect that. After all, some people speak louder with their actions than their words.” It was then that Nidai began eyeing the two of them, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Hmmm…”

“W-what is it?” Hajime stammered, discomforted by the team manager's intense gaze.

Nidai looked back up.

“Hinata, lend me your body.”

“E-excuse me? Whoa! H-hey, w-wait a seco—“

Nidai began feeling all over his body, patting down his arms and legs. Hajime threw Izuru a helpless look while the twin only stood there, offering him no help. He might even say Izuru looked a little amused. Bastard.

“Hm... Just as I thought, I wasn't wrong.” Nidai smiled. “You must’ve been born with good bone structure. If you changed your diet and bulked up your muscle mass, you’d make an amazing athlete!”

“Huh? _Me_?” Hajime pointed to himself.

“Yes, _you_. And you too, Kamukura. With the two of you sharing the same bone structure, you both have the potential of becoming great athletes if you worked hard enough!”

“I possess a multitude of athletic talents,” Izuru stated matter-of-factly. “I do not need to work hard. I am already the best.”

“GAAAAHAHAHAHA! Such confidence!”

“Confidence…? I simply stated the obvious.”

“What’s that?” Owari suddenly cut in, examining Izuru from head to toe. “This guy says he’s the best? No way, he’s built like a stick.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate your opponents, Owari.” Nidai warned.

“Hmm, okay then! Hey poker face, fight me!” Owari challenged.

“Uuh, that’s not– I don’t think you should uh–” Hajime tried to cut in but was interrupted.

“Come on, if you’re really strong then you’re the perfect person to fight! Now fight me!” Owari grinned sharply, cracking her knuckles.

“Fighting you would be pointless. No matter what, I will defeat you.” Izuru replied dismissively.

“Oh yeah, tough guy? Bring it, then!” 

Izuru sighed. “As I predicted. You are a moron.”

“Hey, what the hell did you just call me?!” Owari fumed.

“Owari-san, please…” Nanami placated. “I don’t think now is a good time to pick a fight with Kamukura-kun. We are at a festival…”

“Hrmm, fine. Another time, then.” Owari backed off with a pout.

Hajime sighed in relief.

* * *

They explored more of the festival before Nanami had to temporarily part ways, having been asked to assist her teacher in setting up another sports event. This left Hajime and Izuru to wander around on their own for a bit. Eventually, they came across the Boys’ Basketball Game taking place in the gym. There were two teams of students on each side of the court and crowds of students sitting down at the bleachers, eager to watch the game.

On one side of the court, Hajime spotted Souda standing alongside his team of basketball contestants. The pink-haired mechanic caught his eyes and smiled back at him, waving as he approached.

“Yo, Hinata! We’re short a player, want to join?” Souda asked.

“Uh, I’m not so sure if—“

“Wait, is that your brother?” Souda looked at Izuru who was standing beside him, surveying the gym with an unimpressed look. “Hey, aren’t you like, super-talented? You should join our team and help us win the basketball game!” 

“I’m not interested.” Izuru disregarded.

“Come on, man, please? We’re short a player and could really use your help! Plus, I wanna win so I can impress Miss Sonia-san!”

Izuru closed his eyes, proceeding to ignore the pink-haired teen. It wasn’t until Souda literally dropped to his knees and started _begging_ him to join that Izuru reluctantly agreed. It was a pretty pathetic thing to watch and he could tell the other twin only agreed just to shut him up. Hajime watched as Izuru and Souda both walked over onto one side of the court, the game close to starting. He found himself an empty spot near the front of the bleachers and sat down to watch the game. Soon after, the game began.

He watched as the boys competed against one another, his eyes mainly on Izuru and Souda in particular. Izuru’s movements were flawless, stealing the ball easily from the other team. He then weaved through his opponents effortlessly, swiftly ducking and dodging, dribbling the ball rhythmically. Within seconds, he shot the basketball into the net from the other side of the court, the whole crowd watching it land perfectly through it without touching the rim. All the while his face was blank, bored as if he were competing against elementary kids.

The crowd was awestruck by Izuru’s performance, falling silent shortly before bursting into a cheer of excitement. Hajime gaped, astonished. He knew the other boy was amazingly athletic, that much was proven back when they raced each other on the track field. But seeing him in action still left him feeling amazed, and he couldn’t help but join in the exhilaration, cheering on Izuru from his spot on the bleachers.

“Hinata-kun from the reserve course.”

Hajime stopped and turned his head at the sound of a voice, only to see Komaeda standing nearby, a calm smile on his face. Rather than his school uniform, he wore a white t-shirt, black jeans, and a large, heavy-looking green coat. How he could wear that coat in this hot weather was beyond him, Hajime thought. The pale boy stepped closer and took a seat on bleachers, beside him.

“Komaeda. What are you doing here?” Hajime asked.

“I just came by to cheer on the Ultimates. What about you?” Komaeda replied.

“Same here. I’m cheering on Souda and Izuru in the basketball game.”

“I see,” Komaeda’s smile grew. “So you’re supporting your friend and your brother as they work together to win first place. That’s quite admirable, Hinata-kun.”

“I guess so.” Hajime hummed, remembering something. “By the way, you’re an Ultimate too, right? What’s your talent?”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you that before? How rude of me.” Komaeda sighed. “Don’t get your hopes up too high though. It’s a pretty disappointing talent…”

“A disappointing talent…? What do you mean?”

“I’m lucky.” 

“…Lucky?”

“Yep, that’s my talent. I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student, or at least that’s what they call me.”

Ultimate Lucky Student... What did that mean? Was luck even a real talent in the first place? Hajime couldn't help but wonder...

“Your face looks troubled.” Komaeda interrupted his thoughts.

“Oh, no, I’m not troubled or anything,” Hajime reassured, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m just a little confused, and also curious, I suppose.”

“I understand. Here, allow me to explain. You see I got into this school by—“

Komaeda was cut off by another round of cheers erupting from the crowd as Izuru threw another perfect shot into the hoop. The pale boy chuckled.

“Ah, perhaps I should explain it another time, in a quieter setting.” Komaeda said.

“Good idea.”

The two of them continued watching the game, Izuru and Souda’s team far in the lead. He almost felt bad for how easily the other team was getting demolished. As he watched the game, he couldn't help but wonder, though, was Izuru having fun? He was clearly good at this, and the crowd of students were all cheering for him, but judging by his face, he didn't seem to care for any of it. Was he really that bored of this? Hajime was about to contemplate more on this, until Komaeda spoke again.

“It’s wonderful being able to witness hope from the sidelines, isn’t it?” Komaeda smiled. “How does it feel being a steppingstone for your brother to shine?”

Hajime blinked.

“…What?”

“Isn’t that why you’re here? To support your brother?”

“Well, yeah, but… what do you mean, ‘steppingstone’?”

“Well that’s what you are, isn’t it?” Komaeda cocked his head slightly to the side. “You’re here because you want to cheer on your brother, to aid him in displaying his talent and spreading hope throughout everyone around him. So in other words, you’re a steppingstone leading towards a greater good.”

“…” Hajime had no idea where that came from or how he was supposed to respond to it. He couldn't decide if he should feel confused, annoyed, or if he should just ignore that strange, insulting comment entirely. Komaeda seemed to notice him struggling and gave him a sympathetic look.

“Don’t feel too bad, Hinata-kun," Komaeda said. "You and I are in the same boat. Even though I’m an Ultimate, my talent is more of a burden than anything which essentially makes me the same as you. But at least you know you can help the Ultimates and their hope shine, and that includes your brother.”

Hajime stared pointedly at the boy beside him. This guy was spouting nonsense...

“Hm, what’s with the look? Do you disagree with me? Wait…” The smile on Komaeda’s face fell. “…don’t tell me you think you stand on equal grounds with him.”

“Equal grounds?” Hajime scoffed. “What are you talking about? We’re both equals.”

“Oh, Hinata-kun…” Komaeda sighed, shaking his head. “You truly are a mystery.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just don’t understand you, is all. How can you stand by someone so talented and possibly think you’re equal?”

Hajime felt a pang in his chest. He clenched his fists, hands shaking.

“Talent isn’t everything.” Hajime asserted.

Komaeda looked him up and down.

“Hmm, if you say so, Hinata-kun.”

Komaeda stood up and left the bleachers. Hajime watched as he walked off, whatever good mood he was in now completely ruined thanks to that guy. He wanted to ignore it, to push away those words. That guy was just some asshole; he didn’t know Hajime and it wasn’t fair for him to judge him just because he didn’t have some miraculous talent. But still, those words stung, especially when they sounded so similar to those words that came from his brother. He remembered them clearly.

_“People like you, who lack talent and purpose, are insignificant”_

There was a tight squeeze in his stomach, twisting and turning and burning him inside.

_“You are an inferior being, a parasite leeching off those more talented than you. That is all you are.”_

He was quiet for the rest of the game while the crowd around him continued to cheer and holler. In the end, Izuru and Souda’s team won by a landslide with Izuru being the obvious reason for their flawless victory. As the crowd dispersed, Hajime could hear some passing students whisper and chatter about the incredible long-haired basketball player. He saw Izuru and Souda heading towards him and stood up from the bleachers.

“Wooo, your brother was insane!” Souda exclaimed. “We absolutely demolished the other team!”

“Yeah, I saw. Congratulations…” Hajime forced a smile despite the ugly feeling stirring in his gut.

“Hehe, man, I hope Miss Sonia saw me.”

Souda fist-bumped the air as he walked off. Hajime then turned to Izuru.

“You did great out there.” he said.

“It would’ve been over a lot faster had I competed alone.” Izuru turned away, expression dull. “It was tedious.”

Hajime frowned at this but didn’t reply. The two of them walked out of the gym together, Komaeda’s words clinging to the back of Hajime’s mind.

* * *

Pointless. All of it.

The Sports Festival was made to boost students’ morale while simultaneously showing off the various talents incorporated within the school. But was there any true meaning to any of this? For Izuru, this festival was nothing more than a waste of time. He was dragged along from one event to another, spectating each game alongside the twin and the gamer, and as each game took place, he found himself growing increasingly bored.

The games were all dull. Volleyball, Table Tennis, Soccer: Izuru predicted all the outcomes. Crowds of students would rave and cheer, but he would not join them. Whatever joy they were feeling was alien to him, for there was no thrill or excitement here for him to experience. Only boredom. Boredom and emptiness.

It nagged him at the back of his mind all throughout the day, from the three-legged race to the snack stands, to the basketball game, and so forth, making itself more and more known with each passing second. All these activities, all these people, they were so boring and predictable. But what more could he expect from this meaningless world.

Then more of Nanami’s classmates began to appear. How annoying… He truly did not wish to be bothered with any of them. While the twin and the gamer were distracted, Izuru decided to slip away and head towards the exit. There wasn't much time left until the festival was over so he would wait outside for the remainder of it.

This empty feeling was consuming him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Pheeew this chapter was a tough one to get through! I tried to do as much research on the Summer Sports Festival event in the UTDP as I could. There was also a lot of dialogue between characters to get through.  
> \- Two more Class-77 students are introduced to both brothers!  
> \- I know Nagito may be coming off as mean here but this is legitimately how he acted towards Hajime in the UTDP so I apologize on his behalf for his assholery.  
> \- Next Update: 10/31/20 🎃


	8. Sports Festival Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it! 🎃

Hajime stood by Nanami’s side throughout the rest of the festival, wandering around. Izuru had been mostly quiet if he wasn’t saying something super pessimistic. At one point, as Nanami was speaking with Tanaka and Nevermind, Hajime looked over his shoulder and saw that his twin was gone. He was confused at first, thinking maybe he had gotten lost in a crowd as he was trailing behind them. But then he remembered, this was Izuru. If he disappeared suddenly like this, it was most certainly intentional.

He felt a mix of things: confusion, disappointment, frustration, and maybe other emotions he couldn’t place at the moment. He knew Izuru wasn’t the most enthusiastic of people, but this whole day it felt as if the aloof twin was being nothing but cold and distant. Even Nanami was worried about him, especially when he just disappeared without warning.

Towards the end of the festival, Hajime and Nanami decided it was a good time to part ways for the day. He considered leaving straight back to his room but figured he should probably find Izuru first. Assuming Izuru hadn’t left straight back to whatever room he stayed in... On second thought, maybe he should stop and breathe for a moment.

He stumbled upon the Trophy Room and stepped inside. The room was empty, leaving only him, his thoughts, and a display case full of trophies belonging to Hope’s Peak Academy, showing off their great accomplishments. He examined them, a thoughtful expression on his face. He wondered what it felt like to earn a trophy…

“One of those yours?”

Hajime jumped as he heard a voice and immediately spun around. Leaning against the doorframe was a girl with two big, strawberry blonde pigtails, blue eyes with long eyelashes, and a fashionable black and red uniform. If he had to describe her from first appearance, he’d say she looked like a top-of-the-line model with the kind of face you’d see on television or in a fashion magazine. For some reason, he felt like he’d seen her somewhere before but couldn’t pinpoint when or where…

“Oops, did I startle you? Sorry about that, I didn’t think anyone else would be in here.” The girl casually walked inside “I was just looking to take a breather from that busy sports festival.”

“Ah, so was I.” he replied.

She came closer until she was standing a few feet in front of him. He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

“I’m Enoshima Junko by the way, the Ultimate Fashionista~” She smiled, flipping her hair back for emphasis.

“I’m Hinata Hajime, nice to—”

“Hey, wait a second, aren’t you like, the brother of Kamukura Izuru?”

Hajime blinked in surprise. “Um, yeah, that’s right. How did you—“

“What’s your talent?”

“H-huh?”

“You’re an Ultimate too, aren’t you? What’s your Ultimate talent?”

“Um, I’m… actually from the reserve course.”

“Oh… Sorry, I didn’t realize,” she gave him a pitying look. “I mean I just assumed since your brother’s so talented and all that you must be super talented too…”

“…” he fell silent, averting his gaze as an awkward silence ensued. That ugly feeling in his gut began to intensify.

“…Ah well! It’s no big deal, really! Don’t beat yourself up about it." she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. “Say, where is your brother anyway?”

“I don’t know, he disappeared some time earlier…” he looked at her suspiciously. “Why do you want to know? Do you two know each other?”

“Oh yeah, we’ve spoken to each other a few times. We’re friends, but he likes to play hard to get, ya’ know? He never mentioned anything about having a brother though, so imagine my surprise when I see you! I wonder why he never brought you up before. You’re such a cutie~!”

Enoshima reached out, affectionately patting his cheek with her hand. He smiled sheepishly, face flushing.

“A-ah… thanks?” he coughed. “But we’re not really that close…”

“Hmm, but didn’t you both come to this festival together?” She pulled away, cocking her head slightly to the side.

“Yes, but…”

Enoshima was looking at him, waiting for an answer, but he didn’t have one to give. What could he say? They had come to this festival together and yet it felt like the other boy was hardly present at all. He thought he was getting closer to him, that maybe their relationship was finally beginning to make some sort of progress. But today felt as if that point had been proven wrong…

“Is something wrong, Hinata?” Enoshima came closer until she was standing behind him, gently squeezing his shoulders. “You look really bothered right now.”

Hajime felt embarrassed again as she touched his shoulders and a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t move.

“I-I’m fine, it’s just…” He really shouldn’t be spilling his problems out like this to a stranger, but… he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stop. Maybe it had all just been in Hajime’s head. Maybe he wanted to believe him and Izuru were becoming closer, but in all actuality, they weren’t, and he was just fooling himself into thinking they were. Does Izuru even _want_ to become closer? Does Izuru even _want_ to be bothered with Hajime? Did it truly matter to him at all…?

“Go on, tell me. I’m listening.” Enoshima was massaging his shoulders now as he coaxed him. At this point, Hajime was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice how strange this was or to care. He was lured in by the sound of her voice and the comfort she was offering, letting his guard down without even realizing it.

“I guess I just thought that… Izuru and I could be…”

“Ooh, I see…” Enoshima leaned in closer to his ear and whispered. “Poor Hinata, unappreciated by his talented twin brother. It really isn’t fair to you at all, is it? You try so hard to get closer to him, and yet he doesn’t seem to care at all. I can only imagine how you feel…”

“I…” That ugly feeling inside of him grew more and more as she purred into his ear, almost as if she were reading his darkest thoughts and picking them apart. It felt like he was put underneath a spell, and all he wanted was to confess his thoughts and secrets to the girl behind him. It would be so easy. It would…

No, this was wrong. Wasn’t someone waiting for him? He shouldn’t be here.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Hajime suddenly said.

“Hmm?” Enoshima stopped massaging.

“I didn’t mean to ramble on like this. You probably weren’t looking to hear some stranger dump their problems on you. I’m sure you have more important things to do, and besides, I should probably get going…”  
  
Just like that, the spell was broken. Hajime blinked and realized that he was standing in the middle of a trophy room alone with a teenage girl standing behind him, hand on his shoulder, whispering into his ear and… wait what was that cold pointy thing pushing up against his back? Before he could question it, the girl whirled around in front of him and the cold thing disappeared.

“Ahh don’t worry about it! I should get going, too! Tell your brother I said hi~!” She smiled and waved goodbye as she left the room.

Hajime watched her leave, feeling strange. What just happened? He came into this room to think, then that girl showed up and started talking to him, and he got so caught up in his thoughts he hardly noticed how close she was and what she was doing. And that cold, pointed thing he felt against his back just now… was that just her nails, maybe? Or was it his imagination?

He was too tired to think about this. He sighed and pulled out his phone to text Izuru.

* * *

The sun was nearly fully set over the horizon, a deep blue void encompassing the sky as afternoon transitioned into evening. Izuru understood perfectly how the earth rotation worked, causing the phenomenon known as day and night, thus making the sky just another dull, uninteresting concept for him. The Sports Festival had ended, most of the students having left the building and returned to their dorm rooms before curfew. He was seated on the bench by the fountain—a location he knew would be unoccupied at this time—with his arms crossed, one leg crossed over the other, and eyes closed, waiting for time to pass.

He expected Hajime to arrive soon. The twin had texted him asking about his whereabouts. It was only a matter of time before the brunet would show. Eventually, with his eyes still closed, Izuru sensed the twin approaching, his footsteps drawing nearer until they stopped right beside the bench.

“Hey,” Hajime said, though his voice sounded notably restrained. “Where have you been?”

Izuru opened his eyes to meet the other’s gaze. His expression was stern, brows slightly knitted, lips pulled into a tight, thin line, and eyes filled with confliction. He could sense tension emitting from the other boy as well. He concluded that the other boy was upset.

“Wandering,” he answered simply. “That is until the people became too annoying, so I chose to wait outside.”

“Is that why you bailed on me?”

Izuru threw the twin a questioning look. His hands were in his pockets now, eyes averted.

“Are you upset that I left?” he countered.

“N-no, I mean… I’m not upset.” Hajime sat down beside him, still avoiding eye contact. Izuru could see through the lie easily but chose not to press the issue. If he did not want to discuss it, he saw no reason to push him to. Silence ensued, neither of them speaking. It appeared the twin had more he wanted to say, and after a minute or so of neither of them saying a word, he spoke again.

“The Sports Festival was pretty hectic today, huh?” Hajime said.

“Evidently.” Izuru deadpanned.

“We met a lot of new people with colorful personalities. The games were fun, too. Nanami had a good time…” The brunet fidgeted in his seat, anxiously. “…did you have a good time? Even a little bit?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “The festival was boring, predictable, and overall meaningless.”

In his peripheral vision, he saw Hajime’s expression harden into a frown.

“If it was so boring, then why did you stay? In fact, why did you agree to come in the first place?” The volume in his voice was steadily growing as he became increasingly aggravated, but for reasons Izuru could not decipher. He was only being honest. Was the brunet unsatisfied with his answers?

“You are the one that requested me to join.” Izuru replied matter-of-factly.

“You didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to,” Hajime argued. “You could’ve just said _no_.”

“We agreed to spend time with one another. I am simply fulfilling that agreement.”

“Is that the only reason you agreed to spend time with me? Because you feel compelled to?”

“Logically speaking, yes. The basis of our agreement is that we are related by blood. Relatives typically accompany each other. What other reason would there be?”

“Are you being serious right now? You know what—forget it, I don’t care.” Hajime abruptly stood up from his seat, glaring down at Izuru. “I don’t care what your reason for hanging out with me is, but if you want to leave, you’re more than welcome to leave. You’re not obligated to stay just because we’re brothers. I mean, I _want_ to hang out with you because even though you act like a stuck-up _jerk_ , I still want to get to know you better. But clearly, you don’t feel the same way, so if it bothers you that much, you’re free to go anytime.”

Izuru remained silent, eyes narrowed as he watched the other boy rant and ramble.

“In fact, we don’t even have to hang out anymore if it makes you feel better. I’ll still be here regardless, and you can continue hating me whether we hangout or not and that’ll be just fine by me, so _there_!” Hajime slumped back down onto the bench with finality, his face and body drained, crestfallen. Izuru was silent, expression blank as he mulled over these words. One line, in particular, had caught his attention.

“…I don’t hate you.”

Hajime released a small, dry laugh in response to that, head hung low.

“Could’ve fooled me…”

Izuru felt something strange. There was a heavy, throbbing feeling in his chest, aching with something unknown to him. His body tensed, startled and surprised by this sudden feeling that he was unused to experiencing. These symptoms only seemed to intensify as he looked at the twin and the tired, defeated expression on his face, olive eyes trained to the ground.

Was this… Guilt?

It had to be, Izuru concluded, because even if he technically didn’t do anything wrong, he certainly _felt_ like he did. Izuru attempted to make sense of the situation by reevaluating the issue.

He’d given the other boy the impression that he ‘hated’ him, which was false. It wasn’t Izuru’s fault if the other boy interpreted it that way, and yet… he couldn’t dismiss the idea that _he_ himself was responsible for this, and for some inexplicable reason, that _bothered_ him. This feeling was new to him and he was quickly coming to realize that he did not like it. As he looked at the twin, he suddenly came to a conclusion: he needed to fix this.

Izuru contemplated his next words carefully, then spoke.

“…I apologize for making you feel that way.” He began, voice coming out softer than even he expected, emitting words foreign to him. A look of surprise and confusion crossed Hajime’s face then as he turned his head to meet Izuru’s gaze. He continued. “I realize now that perhaps I have been a little unfair to you. You are giving an effort to bond with me, despite our differences, and I have not made it easy for you. I… do not wish to leave. Instead, I would like to try again, if you are still willing.”

Hajime was silent, his face painted in surprise. Then his shoulders visibly relaxed, the tension easing away.

“Yeah, okay. I’m cool with that…” The brunet averted his attention back to the ground, seeming less dejected now. They fell back into mutual silence. Izuru watched as the other fidgeted idly with his fingers. He felt as if he should say something. That is what brothers do, correct? Talk about things? But what topics did they have to discuss? Izuru always found small talk to be pointless and typically didn’t say more than what was necessary.

He thought back to Hajime’s words when they first agreed to hang out. _I want to get to know you,_ he had said _._ Hajime has made a clear effort to understand him so perhaps it was time for Izuru to return the favor. But where should he begin? He thought of basic conversation starters that family or friends would discuss and chose one accordingly.

“…What is your favorite color?”

Hajime looked at him incredulously, startled as if he’d just been slapped in the face. He watched as the twin’s facial expression morphed from that of surprise and confusion to something soft and slight amusement.

“It’s green,” Hajime answered. “and yours?”

“I don’t have a particular favorite...” For a moment, he thought his answer might disappoint the twin again. But he did not seem disappointed, in fact, only accepting.

“I figured.” Hajime leaned back against the bench, gazing up at the evening sky. “So, you told me you have teachers who give you assignments, right? What are they like?”

“The teachers or the assignments?”

“Both.”

“My teachers are boring. They tell me things I already know and lecture me whenever I displease them.”

“Sounds about right.”

“As for my assignments, they are often given to me by random, sometimes within the morning and sometimes within the afternoon. They vary, often relating to one or more of my many talents. I also have weekly written tests to complete and occasional medical checkups to ensure my health, talent, and intelligence are at peak performance…”

The two of them continued to converse with one another for the rest of that evening, occasionally shifting topics. They learned a few more details about one another, information that was mostly minuscule and unimportant but caused a better understanding of each other, nonetheless. It wasn’t particularly exciting, but… it wasn’t unbearably boring either. In fact, he preferred this quieter time spent talking with Hajime than he did attending the sports festival today.

One thing was for certain: Hajime had surprised him. It wasn’t exactly the first time as the twin had taken him slightly by surprise several instances before. But he had predicted those instances. This, on the other hand, had evaded his foresight.

Izuru had predicted the twin would seek him out and even predicted the possibility of him being upset. What he did not predict was that Hajime would elicit guilt from within himself. He never felt guilty before and he had committed more harmful acts than hurting someone else’s feelings. Yet somehow, the twin had caused him to feel this way, had caused an _emotional_ reaction from within him, which was not something Izuru thought was possible. It intrigued him that he was able to feel this way and that Hajime was the one responsible for it.

He wondered what other ways his brother might surprise him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- :)  
> \- Next Update: 11/07/20


	9. Bond

It was the last day before Hope’s Peak Academy’s one-month summer vacation period. This meant students would be returning to their former homes for a brief period of time, leaving the school buildings empty until the second school term began. Though not entirely empty. The system of teachers, doctors, and scientists underneath the school never rested as they were always active even during vacation days, which meant Izuru would be stuck with them for yet another month.

It was an especially dull and boring time that he was not looking forward to enduring. However, this time may prove to be different. Both Hajime and Nanami had suggested staying in touch with him during the vacation via cellphone, and not only that, they had already begun discussing times for them to hang out at different locations in town. Although he was sure to still be bored, it was a better alternative than sitting in his room for four and a half weeks doing nothing.

Shortly after the last school bell of the day rang, Izuru made his way through the halls of the main course building, passing by other students. Fortunately, none of the other students bothered him as they were too busy discussing their summer vacation plans amongst each other to notice him. Eventually, he came upon the classroom labeled “Class 77” and spotted a small group of familiar students standing near the entrance. Hajime and Nanami along with the pink-haired mechanic were all waiting for him as they discussed their summer plans together. Hajime was the first to spot him within the crowd.

“Izuru, over here.” Hajime waved him over. Izuru leisurely approached the small group. It was then that Nanami and the mechanic greeted him as well.

“Hey hey, Kamukura-kun,” Nanami smiled. “Are you excited for summer vacation?”

“Not really,” Izuru replied. “Time passes the same whether it’s during school hours or vacation hours.”

“Pfft, way to be a killjoy!” The mechanic commented. “Well my bro Hinata here is gonna be staying with me during summer vacation. It’s gonna be wild!”

“Yeah, I was originally going to go back to our parents’ house, but… yeah…” Hajime rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly averting his eyes. “Anyway, Souda invited me to stay with him for summer vacation, and he seemed really insistent, so–“

“We’re gonna have so much fun!" The mechanic interuptted. "We’ll stay up all night eating snacks, watching movies, talking about chicks. And by chicks, I mean mainly Miss Sonia, of course.”

“…On second thought, maybe I should just stay with my parents.” Hajime deadpanned.

“Hey, don’t be like that!” The mechanic huffed. “What about you, Kamukura? You wanna crash at my place for the summer too?”  
  
“Jumping off a roof sounds more appealing than living in your household for a month.” Izuru said to the mechanic.

“Ugh, you’re both too cruel!” 

Nanami giggled light-heartedly. The three of them began making their way down the hall towards the exit of the school building. They had decided they would walk out of the school building together before they parted ways. He didn’t see the point in this considering this wouldn’t be the last time they’d be seeing each other and they had already begun scheduling times to meet again during their vacation, but apparently, the others still felt the need to give a proper farewell right before they depart. So be it.

There were groups, pairs, and individual students all around them, but one group in particular caught his eyes. Down the hall, he spotted three figures approaching their direction. One of them was Enoshima, and with her was Ikusaba as well as a boy taller than the two of them walking in between them. He could be described as having pale skin, blue eyes, and black, unkempt hair, holding a manga in his hands as he read and walked simultaneously.

_Name: Matsuda Yasuke_

_Title: Ultimate Neurologist_

_Sex: Male_

He recognized the neurologist. He had seen him a few times before within the past, sometimes even underground. The neurologist knew about Izuru’s existence and the projects being withheld beneath the school. His teachers seemed to find his studies useful. He was unsure of exactly how involved the neurologist was with the projects being held underground, including his involvement with Izuru’s purpose-given existence, but he knew the neurologist at least contributed somewhat to his teacher’s work.

As they drew closer, Enoshima threw a glance towards Izuru. Her eyes narrowed, a deceitful smile tugging at her lips. It didn’t take long for Izuru to figure out what she was scheming, for as his group crossed with Enoshima’s, he witnessed her boot covertly stick out near Hajime’s, tripping him over and causing him to stumble into the neurologist.

“Crap—!”

“The hell—!?”

Hajime fell on top of the neurologist and they both went toppling to the ground unceremoniously. The brunet groaned and sat up, looking down at the neurologist beneath him who was shooting him an angry glare.

Hajime quickly scrambled off of him. “Shit, sorry—“

“Watch where you’re going, reserve course.” Matsuda glowered as he pulled himself up from the ground.

Hajime visibly shrank at that while the neurologist continued glaring daggers at him. Izuru watched silently.

“Right, my bad. I didn’t mean to fall into you, I just—“

“I don’t need to hear your shitty excuses,” Matsuda interrupted. “If you don’t know how to walk, go back to preschool and figure it out.”

“Matsuda-kun!” Enoshima lightly smacked the neurologist’s shoulder, acting as if she were offended. “You’re so mean, cut the poor guy some slack!”

“Please, it was just an accident,” Nanami placated, stepping in. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to—“

“Stay out of this, Goldilocks.” Ikusaba shot Nanami a look of warning.

“Goldilocks…?” Nanami blinked. “But, I’m not Goldilocks, I’m Nanami…”

Matsuda reached down, picking up the manga he had dropped. It appeared one of the pages were slightly torn.

“You ruined my book.” The neurologist looked very displeased.

“Look, I said I was sorry. It was an accident, no need to be an ass about it.” Hajime frowned.

“ _Sorry_ doesn’t fix my torn-up book, dumbass.”

A small crowd of students began to take notice of the ongoing commotion happening in the hallways, turning to look at the two groups. That lucky student appeared to be within the crowd as well, watching the scene with curiosity, a blank expression on his face. Izuru knew the situation was going to continue to escalate so long as Hajime and the neurologists’ tempers continued to flare. This was no doubt what Enoshima had intended as she intentionally tripped Hajime into stumbling into Matsuda. He could see her smiling mischievously at him from her position near the neurologist.  
  
Izuru could intervene and stop the situation from escalating if he wanted. But was there a reason to? It didn’t have anything to do with him so he wasn’t required to take action.

The mechanic was the second one to attempt to diffuse the situation. “Yo man, chill out—“

“Shut it.” Matsuda cut him off. It was then that the neurologist’s eyes landed on Izuru’s. Recognition flickered in his eyes before they narrowed, something akin to confusion and suspicion. “Tch, I didn’t know the lab rat had a brother...” he murmured thoughtfully.

“What did you just say?” Hajime growled, expression hardening. “Don’t call him that!”

“Yeah, ‘sides you’re one to talk! You look more like a rat than he does!” The mechanic jabbed a finger at the neurologist.

“No one asked you, bolts for brains.” Matsuda spat.

Izuru watched as Hajime and the mechanic both fell into an argument with the neurologist and the soldier. Nanami continued trying to diffuse the situation unsuccessfully while Enoshima inconspicuously egged it on, successfully. Like a wildfire, the situation grew worse with each passing second. More students began crowding around, watching the scene as their arguing grew louder, edging on near chaos. The lucky student was still within that crowd, his eyes trained mainly on Hajime as if he were speculating something.

Izuru did not plan on interfering. He saw no reason to partake in this dispute, nor did he see a reason to end it. Though it was clear Enoshima had caused this intentionally, perhaps trying to prove a point to him, that still didn’t give him a reason to interfere. He was just a bystander, a spectator waiting to see what would happen similar to the other students crowded around them. He wouldn’t act, or disrupt, or intervene. He would simply watch and see what happens.

“You think I’m gonna take orders from some reserve course loser?” Matsuda hissed.

“I’d rather be a loser than some pompous asshole like you!” Hajime snapped.

Matsuda suddenly reached out to grab Hajime’s collar. “Listen here you little—“

It happened in a flash.

One moment it was loud, the four of them standing across Enoshima and her two associates as their groups clashed. The next moment, the neurologist was splayed out on his back, ten feet away from them on the ground. The hallway fell silent, all eyes on Izuru. Izuru’s hand was, for some reason, frozen in front of him in a knife hand position. Miraculously, his brain seemed slow on understanding what just occurred until realization finally dawned on him.

Izuru had struck him. It hadn’t been a conscious decision; he hadn’t calculated doing this before he had done it. He just did it. He didn’t know why he did it. Most likely, the neurologist hadn’t even planned on seriously harming Hajime. And yet, when he saw Matsuda move to grab the twin, something within himself seemed to activate, making him move without thinking. An impulse. An _instinct_.

The people around him were all gaping at him, eyes wide and in shock. Hajime himself was gaping at Izuru along with Nanami and the mechanic. Even Enoshima seemed taken off guard, her expression gone blank. He could spot the lucky student within the crowd, his eyes sparkling in admiration as he stared at him and Hajime as if he were having an epiphany of sorts. They all seemed to be looking at him and Hajime.

Why did he do this? He wouldn’t have done this before. Enoshima wouldn’t have done this. This was illogical. He looked at Hajime, who was still looking at him. There was a wordless exchange between them, an understanding.

…

It was then that Izuru realized something: Enoshima had been wrong. His relationship with Hajime was not like Enoshima’s relationship with Ikusaba.

This bond that they seemed to carry… was something else entirely.

* * *

Hajime sat against the wisteria tree, deep in thought. It had been about half an hour since that incident. He hadn’t expected to fall into such an intense argument with that mean-looking, entitled guy in the hallway. In fact, he had been just about ready to walk away until that guy had insulted Izuru. When he did that, it felt like something in him snapped. Hajime wasn’t sure why it made him so angry, besides the ultra-talented twin was more than capable of defending himself if need be. Still, it was like something within him just activated, the need to defend his brother’s name against that shit-talking jerk in the hallway.

But what was more surprising was what Izuru had done. The aloof twin hadn’t said a word during the entire exchange. Hajime had been mostly focused on arguing with the shit-talker, so he hadn’t noticed exactly what the twin had been doing, but he was sure Izuru had just been spectating the whole ordeal. It wasn’t until that guy tried to grab Hajime when Izuru had lunged forward and hit him before the guy could even touch him. It left the whole hallway in shock the way Izuru sent him flying ten feet down the hall in just one swift motion.

At first, Hajime wasn’t sure why Izuru had done it—why he had _protected_ Hajime like that when he was sure the twin wouldn’t have cared enough before. But when Izuru looked at him, Hajime saw that confusion in his eyes, as if _he_ didn’t know either. And then something passed through them, an understanding of sorts. Truthfully, the whole situation had been pretty stressful which led Hajime to come to this tree to calm down and process everything that just occurred. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning further back against the tree as he ruminated.

“Beautiful.”

Hajime startled, looking up at the sound of someone’s voice. Before him, he saw a familiar mess of white fluffy hair coming towards his direction. Komaeda stopped beside him, hovering over him with a gentle smile on his face. For a moment, he felt at a loss of words, not registering what the other boy had said to him.

“What?” Hajime gawked.

“The tree.” Komaeda patiently replied, gesturing towards the wisteria. “There’s not another tree like this on campus. It’s quite beautiful, wouldn’t you agree?"

“Oh. Yeah, I guess so…” Hajime shrugged.

Komaeda sat down beside him, leaning his back against the tree. Hajime tensed a little, feeling confused. Why was _he_ here? The last time they’d spoken had been at the Sports Festival when the pale boy had pretty much mocked him for being a talentless reserve course student, calling him a _stepping-stone_ even. Although they hardly knew each other, and as strange as Komaeda was, those words still hurt to hear. So why bother to approach Hajime again if Komaeda thought so little of him? Hajime didn't know how to ask him that, so instead he kept his eyes trained to the ground, elbows resting on his knees as the two of them sat in silence.

“…I owe you an apology, Hinata-kun.”

Hajime lifted his head in surprise, looking over at the cotton-haired boy beside him. Komaeda was gazing up at the sky, his expression still calm but somewhat sympathetic.

“I shouldn’t have treated you so unfairly before. I understand if you’d be mad at scum like me for what I said to you…” Komaeda said.

Hajime was silent, feeling at a loss again. He hadn’t expected the other boy to apologize to him all of a sudden. And he was self-deprecating again. This guy was so confusing…

“But I was wrong about you, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda continued.

“What are you on about?” Hajime huffed impatiently.

Komaeda just smiled and turned his head to look at Hajime. The look he was giving him made his heart skip a beat. “When I first met you, I thought you were just like me. Just another nobody, a stepping stool to further the hope of the talented.”

Hajime grimaced at that.

“But I was wrong!” Komaeda beamed enthusiastically. “What I witnessed earlier in the hallway, when you defended your brother’s name so valiantly, and he defended you so protectively... It was such a beautiful moment! You two have such a strong, hopeful bond! The bond that you share with your brother, it’s amazing, incredible, and so full of hope! Do you know what that means, Hinata-kun?”

“Uh… what?” Hajime felt almost completely lost. Then, Komaeda leaned in closer, his face inches away from his, so close he could count his pale eyelashes. Hajime leaned back a little, trying not to stare too hard at those sage eyes so close.

“It means _you_ are the exception," Komaeda declared. "You may not have an Ultimate talent, but the bond you share with your brother makes you worthy enough to become a symbol of hope!”

Hajime wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but Komaeda sounded happy about whatever he was saying, so maybe that meant it was a good thing?

“I really don’t understand what you’re saying but… thanks, I guess?” Hajime said.

“No. Thank _you_ , Hinata-kun.” Komaeda smiled and pulled away, sitting back against the tree. The two of them sat by each other for some time longer in peaceful silence. Hajime was still unsure of what to make of the boy beside him. One moment, he was insulting him for being talentless. Now he was praising him and calling him a symbol of hope.

Hajime was still wary of him no doubt, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stay upset. In a way, his presence was somewhat… calming, especially after that stressful incident in the hallway. Why Komaeda kept showing up out of nowhere and talking to him was still a mystery to Hajime, though. He looked over at Komaeda to see him gazing up at the sky, that calm smile on his face.

What a strange guy…

* * *

Izuru stood outside the gates of HPA, watching as the sun began to set over the horizon. One month would pass before the students returned to this school. He, however, would remain living here, as he always did. He pondered what it would be like for him to live somewhere else other than the school for such an extended period of time. Would it truly matter where in the world he resided?

No matter where he stayed, boredom seemed to follow him regardless. Yet the thought of being stuck here at this school still left him feeling somewhat displeased. He was not looking forward to spending more boring, empty hours underground. He could only hope that spending time with Hajime and Nanami during the summer would alleviate some of that emptiness.

He turned around to head back inside the school building, but just as he began walking away, he heard a voice call out to him.

“Kamukura-kun!”

He stopped and looked over to see the lilac-haired gamer jogging towards him, waving at him. She held onto one strap of her bag, the curls of her hair slightly bouncing as she drew nearer. Once close enough, she slowed to a stop in front of him.

“I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to see you before I left.” She examined him with a slight look of concern. “That incident in the hallway earlier really got out of hand… Are you okay?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” Izuru replied.

“I just wanted to make sure you and Hinata-kun were both alright.” As if suddenly remembering something, her eyes lit up. “Oh, also, before I was heading home, I realized something. Could I see your phone for a moment?”

He blinked then pulled out his cellphone, holding it out towards her. Nanami took the phone into her hands then began tapping the screen. She appeared to be inserting something into the phone. When she was finished, she held the phone back out to him. He took the phone and saw a new contact labeled “Nanami” on the screen with a cellphone number attached.

“I almost forgot to give you my phone number. Now we’ll still be able to talk during summer vacation.” She smiled. He stared at the contact for a moment then returned the phone to his pocket. “Well, I’ll see you later then, Kamukura-kun.”

“Yes. Goodbye.” Izuru nodded. Nanami fell silent, looking at him for a moment before averting her gaze. He watched as she fiddled with the straps to her bag, a faint tint of pink dusting her cheeks. She appeared to be nervous, or rather hesitant about something, but he was unsure of what. Then suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso, a warm body pressing against his. It took him a moment to process what was happening until he realized she was hugging him.

It was a common gesture people often did as a way of expressing affection. It felt foreign to him, as this was the first time he’d been hugged by anyone. He looked down at the shorter figure, her arms wrapped around him, eyes closed, and face buried against him. Warmth spread throughout his chest. This warmth… this was the same way he felt at the arcade, thus making this the second time Nanami had this strange effect on him. Strange… but not unpleasant. He was uncertain how to respond, so instead, he chose to continue standing in place, arms draped to his sides as he watched her. 

Shortly after, she pulled away, looking up at him with a bright smile. “See ya’.”  
  
Izuru watched as she ran back off into the distance.

What a curious girl…

* * *

“Teeheehee! Wow, this is incredible! So incredible!”

Junko giggled and squirmed in place as she sat in her limo, her mind littered with thoughts from earlier today. Kamukura had taken her by surprise with that stunt he pulled in the hallway. She managed to drag Matsuda along with her and Mukuro, and her plan to have him fall out against Kamukura’s reserve course brother had gone without a hitch. She had expected for things to fall into chaos from there, with someone or some people getting hurt, and seeing that delicious look of despair on little Hinata’s face after he gets expelled for ‘fighting’ a main course student, or from the betrayal of his twin brother who couldn’t even bother to have his back.

But that didn’t happen. What was supposed to be a chaotic, despair-inducing situation was instead turned into a shocking display of hope as Kamukura swooped in, protecting his brother from the big bad Matsuda. Her plan completely fell apart right in front of her face. How absolutely… _wonderful!_ Mukuro was seated beside her, wiping down the blade of her combat knife as she watched her squirm and spasm.

“What’s incredible, sis’?” Mukuro asked, her head tilting like a confused puppy.

“Well duh! What happened earlier in the hallway, of course!” Junko replied.  
  
“But, I don’t get it. Your plan to break up that Kamukura and Hinata guy failed.”

“Well obviously!” She kicked the other girl hard in her shin, causing her to wince and blush. “Don’t you know what that means? It means Kamukura’s bond with his brother is a lot stronger than we thought it was. Do you know what thaaat means?”

“What, sis’?”

“It means, the stronger their bond is, the more despair-inducing it will be when it all comes falling apart. I can see it now: Kamukura Izuru, the Ultimate Hope, falling deep down into the pits of despair, so far down that he becomes… the Ultimate Despair. Pupupu…” The mere thought of dragging the Ultimate Hope down into despair was making her shake with excitement.

“…Why don’t we just kill his brother then? Wouldn’t that bring Kamukura down into despair?” Mukuro suggested.

“Ugh, Mukuro, you meathead, don’t you get it?!” Junko kicked her repeatedly, making the other wince and moan. “You really think Kamukura’s just gonna let us waltz over and kill his dorky brother at this point? He knows we’re a potential threat. He’ll predict our actions and if he catches us trying to make any moves on his dorky brother, he’ll kill us first. Of course, I can predict his actions too, so there is a chance we’d succeed in killing that dork…”

She yawned and stopped kicking. “But that would be totally _boring_! The despair won’t be as fun if Hinata gets removed from the story so soon. No, if we want to drag Kamukura into truly soul-crushing despair, we’ll have to be patient. Besides, my plan might’ve failed, but everyone saw what Kamukura did to Matsuda, and I bet the Steering Committee won’t be too happy to hear about it. What’ll they do when they find out their little pet project is feeling adventurous and breaking the rules, I wonder? Pupupu…”

“…Are you _sure_ you don’t want me to just kill his brother for you? I could at least kidnap him and—”

“Just can it, Mukuro!”

* * *

Izuru stepped through the entrance of the underground tunnels, only to be immediately met with his teachers all standing before him with their white lab coats. They each looked at him with stern expressions and stiff postures. He knew what that meant, sighing internally as he had to deal with yet another one of their pointless lectures.

“Izuru, where have you been?” An older, male teacher asked. He ignored him, opting to walk past his teachers instead as he headed towards his room.

“Don’t ignore us, Izuru,” A female teacher within her mid-thirties scolded. “We heard about what happened in the school hallway earlier. What were you thinking? You’re supposed to stay hidden, not start fights with other students."

Izuru continued ignoring them, growing increasingly annoyed with their presence. No doubt they would continue to pester him whether he responded or not, so there really was no point. He considered installing a lock onto his door as he drew closer to the room down the hall.

“It’s that boy, isn’t it?” The older teacher said. Izuru slowed to a stop. With his attention now caught, the teacher continued. “That boy from the reserve course. We know you’ve been hanging around with him. If this boy becomes too much of a distraction then–“

“He is none of your concern,” Izuru turned around, eyeing the group intensely. “I have stayed on top of my tasks. What I do in my free time is my business.”

“Don’t sass us, Izuru,” The first female teacher crossed her arms. “Remember your purpose. You’re here to serve as humanity’s hope, not make friends with talentless nobodies.”

“You hid him from me.” Izuru retorted. The teachers looked puzzled at his statement. Of course, Izuru wouldn’t expect these incompetent people to understand what he was accusing them of.

“What on earth are you talking about?” The male teacher scoffed.

“My biological brother. You hid his existence from me.”

The room suddenly fell silent. The teachers were exchanging nervous, knowing looks with one another. Izuru turned around, facing them.

"I will continue fulfilling my purpose, but if you want my cooperation, then it would be wise of you all not to interfere with my affairs.” Izuru turned his back towards them and continued down the hall. As he grew further, he could hear his teachers whispering to each other.

“We have to tell the Steering Committee about this…” One of them whispered.

“Of course. Schedule a meeting time with them pronto.” Another whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I don’t know much about Yasuke Matsuda considering I did not read Danganronpa Zero (the most I know is from research), but I heard he’s a shit talker, so I had to include him talking shit. Also, I literally don’t know this man’s date of birth, height, or weight, so I couldn’t include it within Izuru’s analysis. Let’s just assume Izuru knows what it is. Also also, Yasuke does play more of a role within the future chapters rather than just serving as a quick antagonist.  
> \- Izuru internally referring to Souda as just “the mechanic” and Komaeda as “the lucky student” rather than by their names is intentional. It's meant to show how much he acknowledges someone based on whether he uses their name or not.  
> \- Next Update: 11/14/20


	10. Summer Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, this chapter contains a high amount of text messages and group chatting! It’s only for this chapter, then it’ll return to normal writing style. I figured this would be a neat way of breezing through summer vacation without skipping through it entirely, though I apologize if the sudden change feels odd. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

“Well, here we are!” Souda exclaimed. “Welcome to my bike shop! Or well, my parents’ bike shop, but the apartment above it is totally mine. Follow me.”

Hajime followed Souda as they made their way towards the back of the empty bike shop, duffel bag in hand. When Souda suggested that Hajime stay with him for the summer, he explained to him that he lived alone in the apartment connected to the top of his parents’ bike shop. Apparently, he and his parents used to live within the apartment, but after saving up enough money, Souda’s parents bought themselves a house and gave the apartment to Souda for him to stay in. Which was convenient, because Hajime wasn’t sure how Souda’s parents would feel about having some random boy living with them for a month.

Once they reached the back of the store, they spotted a staircase leading up from the shop into the apartment. Souda led him up the stairs, pulling out a set of keys, and unlocking the door.

“And this is my apartment! Pretty cool, right?” Souda opened the door and stepped out of the way, allowing Hajime to pass through and see inside. The apartment was admittedly in good shape. There was a decently spaced living room with an old couch, a small coffee table, and a TV. Near the living room was a small but fully functional kitchen. There weren’t a whole lot of decorations, but a few portraits hanging on the walls, some potted plants here and there, and what looked to be gadgets and machine parts littered all around the house. There was also a bit of an oily scent in the air. Guess he should’ve expected that.

“It’s nice,” Hajime smiled sincerely. “Thanks again for letting me stay here, you really didn’t have to.”  
  
“Ah, don’t sweat it, bro! Come on, I’ll show you around.” Souda gave him a quick tour of the rest of the house, showing him the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and lastly, his bedroom. Souda’s bedroom was a lot more... flamboyant than the rest of the house. The walls were painted dark gray with a few ‘suggestive’ posters hanging from them. In the center of the room was a king-sized bed with pink bedding, a nightstand beside it, a workbench in the corner with machinery strewn about, and a dresser near the closet. He also noticed the smell of oil was a lot stronger in this room than in the rest of the house. 

“This is where we’ll be sleeping.” Souda gestured towards the room. Hajime blinked, eyeing the one bed in the center of the room.

“You mean, in the same bed?” Hajime said. “Because you don’t have to, I can sleep on the couch…”

“Nah man, I got a futon in the closet you can use. But I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed if I didn’t have the futon. We’re bros, so it’s no big deal!” Souda grinned.

“Right…” Hajime helped Souda pull the futon out of the closet and set it up for him, preparing it for tonight. Afterwards, the two of them returned to the living room.

“I’m gonna order us a pizza. Pepperoni sound good?” Souda asked.

“Pepperoni sounds good.” Hajime smiled. Souda dialed a number and walked off into another room. Hajime plopped down onto the living room couch and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts.

_Izuru_

_6:05 PM_

_[6:05 PM]_

**_You:_** _I made it to Souda’s place_

 **_You:_ ** _his apartment smells like motor oil_

_[6:05 PM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Fitting._

_[6:05 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _I rly shouldn’t be complaining tho, it’s better than nothing_

 **_You:_ ** _how’s it feel living at HPA during the break?_

_[6:05 PM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Boring._

_[6:06 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _wish I could visit but we’re not allowed on school grounds during the break_

 **_You:_ ** _we could def still hangout in town tho. We should set up a time to meet soon_

_[6:06 PM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Okay._

_[6:06 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _I was thinking we could go to the arcade again_

_[6:06 PM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Okay._

_[6:06 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _ur conversational skills r outstanding_

_[6:06 PM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Your spelling prowess is immaculate._

Hajime felt the corner of his lips tug upwards. Then Souda returned to the living room.

“Alright, the pizza’s on its way!” The shark-toothed boy grinned and plopped down on the couch beside him. “You ready to pop in some movies?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Hajime smiled. The two of them spent the rest of the night in the living room, watching mainly action-packed movies and comedies while sharing one large, greasy pepperoni pizza and a liter of sugary soda pop. They told stories about themselves and cracked jokes with each other, sometimes finding themselves doubling over in laughter.

At one point, their conversation steered over to girls. Souda inevitably rambled on about 'Miss Sonia' for a good half hour, then he asked Hajime if there were any chicks he was currently into. Hajime thought about this then eventually shrugged and told him that there was one girl he had a crush on back in middle school, but that's about it as far as he knew. Souda seemed unsatisfied with that answer but decided to let it go for now.

Overall, Hajime would say he genuinely had a good time with Souda that night. When midnight rolled around, the two of them decided to hit the hay, having talked and laughed themselves to exhaustion. Souda sluggishly crawled into his bed and within seconds was fast asleep. Hajime laid down on his futon shortly after, pulling the blanket over himself. He wondered if Izuru and Nanami were already asleep or not. With that last thought in mind, Hajime closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Nanami_

_8:22 AM_

_[8:22 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _gud morning Hinata-kun!_

_[8:22 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _good morning Nanami_

_[8:22 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _how’s ur first day of summer break?_

_[8:22 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _good, just ate breakfast with Souda. We had leftover pizza_

 **_You:_ ** _nutritious, I know_

 _[_ _8:23 AM]_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _I had take-out_

_[8:23 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _looks like we’re both guilty_

 **_You:_ ** _u talk to Izuru yet?_

_[8:23 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yep I sent him a text right after u_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _we should start a group chat and add Kamukura-kun_

_[8:23 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _good idea_

_[8:24 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _ok I’ll start it_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_8:25 AM_

_[8:25 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _looks like it worked_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun, u there?_

_[8:25 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _yep_

_[8:25 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Yes._

_[8:25 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _(_ _＾ｕ＾_ _)_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_8:18 AM_

_[8:18 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _gud morning!_

_[8:18 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _good morning_

_[8:18 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _it’s the second day of summer vacation!_

_[8:18 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _that it is_

_[8:19 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _u guys wanna meet up at the arcade later?_

_[8:19 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _yep sounds good_

_[8:19 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Kamukura-kun, how about u?_

_[8:19 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_** _Very well._

_[8:19 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _ok how does 2 PM sound?_

_[8:19 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _2 PM is good_

_8:19 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _That is fine._

_[8:19 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _ok_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_2:21 PM_

_[2:21 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _hey hey_

_[2:21 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _hey Nanami, what’s up?_

_[2:21 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _I had a strange dream last night_

_[2:21 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _what was it about?_

_[2:21 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _I had a twin sister who looked just like me_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _except sleepier somehow_

_[2:21 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _even more sleepy than u already are?_

_[2:21 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yeah haha_

_[2:22 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _having a twin sister would be cool. But I think u and Kamukura-kun are the coolest twins I know_

_[2:22 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _we’re the only twins u know_

_[2:22 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _oh yeah_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_5:31 PM_

_[5:31 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _when I said we should try out that new Italian restaurant that just opened up in town..._

_**Hinata:** I did not expect you to take over the kitchen Izuru_

_[5:31 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _The food was subpar. I did what was necessary to give us a proper meal._

_[5:32 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _the service was nice at least. I don’t know how their food tasted since there was a hair in mine._

 **_Nanami:_ ** _if Kamukura-kun hadn’t noticed that hair in the food and pointed it out, I might’ve accidentally eaten it_

_[5:32 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _Izuru got really vexed over that, didn’t he? He took the plate to the kitchen and gave all the chefs a lecture about it_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _then he said he’d give them a proper demonstration on how to properly cook a meal, walked into their kitchen, and recooked our orders_

 **_Hinata:_** _he_ _even wore an apron and a hair tie. U really looked like a 5-star chef_

_[5:33 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Kamukura-kun actually did the restaurant a lot of good!_

_**Nanami:** the food he cooked for all the diners was amazing and the restaurant got a lot of good publicity for it_

**_Nanami:_ ** _u did a rly good thing for them Kamukura-kun_

_[5:33 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _I_ _t doesn’t really matter to me._

_[5:33 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _either way, I had fun. We should try out other restaurants sometime._

_[5:33 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yeah_

_[5:33 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _maybe next time Izuru will actually eat the food_

_[5:33 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Maybe next time the chefs will actually know how to cook it._

_[5:33 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _oh my_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_8:47 AM_

_[8:47 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _yooo wut up its Hinata_

_[8:48 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _?_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _Hinata-kun?_

_[8:48 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _wuts up bby gurl hows it goin ;)_

_[8:48 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _???_

_[8:48 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _That’s not Hajime._

_[8:49 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _ofc it is who else wuld it b!_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _btw did I mention I have da coolest soul bro ever?_

_[8:49 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Souda-kun is that u?_

_[8:49 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _nu way dis is Hinata_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _I WISH I wuz Souda tho_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _man Souda is jus so cool I wish I could b as cool as himmmmmmm_

_[8:50 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _djdnakdkgsjhf bgfkkkkkk_

_[8:52 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _I’m back_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _Souda had my phone_

_[8:52 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _we know (_ _≧∇≦)_

_[8:52 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _I suggest enabling a password for your cellphone._

_[8:52 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _good idea_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_4:20 PM_

_[4:20 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _oh my god_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _that was hilarious_

_[4:20 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _competitive shooter games tend to have a lot of aggressive players, but I never heard someone that angry before_

_[4:21 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _I can’t believe he thought Izuru was hacking XD_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _he was cussing him out over the mic_

_[4:21 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Kamukura-kun got more than half the team’s kills combined_

 **_Nanami:_** _it_ _was pretty impressive, but that guy shouldn’t have assumed he was hacking because he wasn’t_

_[4:21 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _he called him a 30 year old no-life basement-dweller_

_[4:22 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _usually I’m the one getting accused of cheating_

_[4:22 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _he said he was gonna track Izuru down and kick his ass_

_[4:22 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _they’re just empty threats… most of the time_

_[4:22 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _and Izuru was just quiet the whole time!!_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _omg I can’t breathe! XD XD XD_

_[4:23 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Kamukura-kun I understand if u don’t want to play shooter games anymore after that_

_[4:23 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _It doesn’t matter to me. I couldn’t care less for the tantrums of a short-tempered imbecile._

_[4:23 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _“30 year old no-life basement-dweller" XD XD_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_3:11 PM_

_[3:11 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _u guys ready to play?_

_[3:11 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _I cannot play videogames at the moment._

_[3:11 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _why not?_

_[3:11 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _My teachers have confiscated the gaming consoles._

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Nanami:_** _they did what?!_ (°ロ°) !

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _why would they do that??_

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _They say it has become too much of a distraction._

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _It’s summer vacation! what else do they expect u to do?_

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _My assignments._

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _u still have assignments to do during vacation?_

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Unfortunately._

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Nanami:_** _that’s completely unfair_ (⇀‸↼‶)

_[3:12 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _your teachers are assholes_

_[3:13 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _I can get them back._

_[3:13 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _wdym?_

_[3:13 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _The location in which they’ve hidden the consoles should not be hard for me to find. I can bring the consoles back and we can continue playing._

_[3:13 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _won’t u get in trouble?_

_[3:13 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Most likely, though that does not concern me._

 **_Kamukura:_ ** _I prefer playing games with you two than doing what my teachers demand of me._

_[3:14 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Kamukura-kun…_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _I’m rooting for u! Gud luck finding the consoles, we’ll be waiting!_ _＼(_ _＾_ _▽_ _＾)_ _／_

_[3:14 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _let us know when you’re ready_

_[3:14 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _I will._

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_7:33 PM_

_[7:33 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _wow_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _that movie was…_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _so boring_

_[7:33 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Agreed._

_[7:33 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yeah it was pretty bad_

 _**Nanami:** _ _I_ _was so excited for us to watch it in the movie theaters but…_

_[7:34 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _the story was so bad_

_[7:34 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _The plot was quite predictable._

_[7:34 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _The acting was horrible, the characters were forgettable_

_[7:34 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _A mind-numbing experience indeed._

_[7:34 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _And the main character was just so…_

_[7:34 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Dull._

_[7:35 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _yeah exactly_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _I honestly had more fun waiting in line_

_[7:35 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _( ´ ω ` )_

_[7:35 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _what?_

_[7:35 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _oh nothing (*_ _≧_ _ω_ _≦*)_

* * *

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura_

_8:45 AM_

_[8:45 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _It’s the last day before the second school term begins_

_[8:45 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _yeah it is_

_[8:45 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _how do u feel about returning to school?_

_[8:45 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _I’m excited! The break’s been nice, but I miss my classmates_

_[8:46 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _I get that. Tbh I’m looking forward to meeting at the fountain everyday with u two again_

_[8:46 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _me too (_ _＾ｕ＾)_

 **_Nanami:_ ** _are u looking forward to the second term too, Kamukura-kun?_

_[8:46 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Everything will remain relatively the same for me._

_[8:46 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _except we’ll be there_

_[8:46 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Yes. I suppose that is the only thing to look forward to._

_[8:47 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _that’s a pretty nice thing to say. I didn’t know u missed us so much Izuru_

_[8:47 AM]_

**_Kamukura:_** _Y_ _our presence is only slightly more tolerable than my teachers._

_[8:47 AM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _there it is_

_[8:47 AM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _hehe (_ _＾_ _▽_ _＾)_

* * *

...

...

...

_Missing._

_He opened his eyes and saw that something was missing. There was an empty space beside him where his _ _ _ _ _ _ _ should be. He sat up in his _ _ _, looking around. His _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was nowhere in sight._

_“_ _ _ - _ _ _ _?” he called out. No response. Maybe his _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was already up and was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ his _ _ _ _ _. He pushed the rest of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ off his body and scooted towards the edge of the _ _ _, hopping off. Two small feet plopped down onto the floor and carried him out of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _. He walked towards the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ only to see that the door was open and the room was empty. His _ _ _ _ _ _ _ must’ve already _ _ _ _ _ _ _ his _ _ _ _ _ then and was waiting for him at the_ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ with _ _ _ and _ _ _._

_He walked to the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, expecting to see his _ _ _ preparing the _ _ _ _ _ and the smell of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the air. But there was no _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, or _ _ _, or _ _ _, or _ _ _ _ _ _ _. The _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was empty._

_Where did _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ go?_

_He carried his little feet through the hallway, passing by the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. He turned his head and looked into the _ _ _ _ to see his _ _ _ and _ _ _ were there. But something was wrong. _ _ _ was quietly sitting on the _ _ _ _ _, hands folded in _ _ _ lap. _ _ _ looked _ _ _. His _ _ _ was standing in the living room with _ _ _ arms crossed, staring out the window. _ _ looked _ _ _ too, but like _ _ was trying to hide it as _ _ gazed out the window._

_What was _ _ _ looking at?_

_He continued down the hallway and saw the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was open. Sunlight spilled in through the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, touching his little toes. Through the _ _ _ _, he saw _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ parked on the street in front of the _ _ _ _ _. The _ _ _ _ were starting to leave._

_He reached out—_

_DON’T—_

Hajime gasped, his eyes snapping wide open. He blinked his eyes rapidly as they adjusted to the darkness, recognizing a dark ceiling above him. He sat up on his futon, looking around to see Souda sleeping heavily on his bed, snoring loudly with one leg hanging off the side and drool dripping onto his pillow. He pulled out his phone, the bright screen burning his eyes for a second. The time read 2:21 AM. He unlocked the phone and went straight to his contacts.

_Izuru_

_2:21 AM_

_[2:21 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _Izuru?_

_[2:21 AM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Hajime. Is something wrong?_

_[2:22 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _no, everything’s fine_

_[2:22 AM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Than why are you contacting me this late at night?_

_[2:22 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _sorry, I just had this weird dream_

 **_You:_ ** _were u sleeping?_

_[2:22 AM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Naturally._

_[2:23 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _right, sorry. Didn’t mean to wake u_

_[2:26 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _Idk why I texted u, it’s stupid rly_

_[2:27 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _u can go back to sleep now. Sorry_

_[2:28 AM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _…_

_[2:29 AM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Hajime._

_[2:29 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _yeah?_

_[2:29 AM]_

**_Izuru:_ ** _Goodnight._

_[2:30 AM]_

**_You:_ ** _goodnight Izuru_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Thus marks the end of what I would like to call Arc 1!! I just want to take a moment to thank the people who left kudos and comments. Every time I see a new comment it truly makes my day and I love hearing your thoughts on the story so far. To the regular commenters who leave multiple comments, thank you, it makes me so happy to see others invested in the story as much as I am, and the support is super encouraging. <3
> 
> \- This story will be split into three arcs. There will be a short break as I continue to write the second arc. I’m already multiple chapters into Arc 2, but I want to make sure at least more than half of the chapters are well-written and polished. If all goes according to plan, I should start posting the next arc at the beginning of January in 2021 (so about a one-and-a-half-month break). I hope you all will be willing to stick with me until then! I already have the majority of plot as well as the ending planned out, so now it’s just a matter of time and patience :)
> 
> \- What to expect: The 1st Arc was essentially introductions, the beginning of new relationships, and hints towards the mystery and what’s to come. Arc 2 is when the action really starts to pick up! Relationships develop, bigger conflicts occur, mysteries begin to unravel, and more characters are introduced. What was Hajime’s dream all about? How exactly did Hajime and Izuru become separated? What exactly happened to Izuru anyway? What is Junko scheming, and will it put an end to what Hajime and Izuru have started? How will the Steering Committee respond once they find out about Hajime? Find out in Arc 2!


	11. Begin Second Term

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we’re back in 2021! Welcome back, I hope you all are doing well! ^^ 2020 has been a roller coaster of a year and truthfully, I’m glad it’s over. 
> 
> Just some small notes: I made some small edits to previous chapters during the break. Nothing major, just some grammar and structure things (I realized recently that I wasn't supposed to capitalize the first letter after every dialogue sentence, only some :P so I had to go back and fix all of that, and I'm still not sure if I'm doing it right) I edited the tags a bit as well.
> 
> But more importantly, I'd like to give a fair warning from here on out as there are some potentially triggering things in this next part. Please keep in mind, ANYTHING that happened in canon could possibly happen in this story (so things such as murder, brainwashing, abuse, etc. could happen). The reason I chose not to include specific tags is because I wanted to avoid spoiling the story, but I also want the readers to know what they're getting into in case any of the content could be triggering.
> 
> Now then, let’s move right onto Arc 2!

The second school term began at Hope’s Peak Academy. The morning had been busy with students moving back into their dorms and refamiliarizing themselves with their respective classes. Hajime wasn’t particularly excited to be back in his classes. There weren’t many people from the reserve course that he was well acquainted with, though there were a few he may consider his friends. Regardless, there was one thing he was looking forward to, and that was meeting with Izuru and Nanami for lunch as he did during the first term.

He was eager to meet with them again until he received a text this morning from his twin stating that he’d be unable to attend breakfast or lunch with him today. He explained that his teachers were giving him a sizeable amount of assignments to complete that would interfere with his free time. Hajime was a little disappointed to hear that but decided they could always hang out after school instead. In the meantime, he could still hang out with his best friend.

When lunchtime came around, Nanami sent him a text asking him to meet her at her classroom. With that in mind, Hajime made his way through the main course building, reaching Class-77’s room and stepping inside. The classroom was full of students this time, half that he recognized and half that he did not. They were all busy chatting amongst each other, not noticing that he entered the room, except for one person.

“Hinata-kun!” Nanami ran over and threw his arms around him. He couldn’t help but smile as he wrapped his arms around the shorter girl. Then she pulled away, looking around expectantly. “Where’s Kamukura-kun?”

“He couldn’t make it today," Hajime replied. "Said his teachers were giving him a lot of work.”

“Awe, that’s too bad.”

“Yeah, but I was thinking that since he couldn’t show up, the three of us could hang out after school instead.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “How about… we come to my dorm and play videogames?”

“That’s a great idea, Hinata-kun! I’ll bring over some games, and snacks too.” Nanami smiled enthusiastically. It was then that he saw one of the other classmates approaching, one that he recognized.

“Ah, Hinata-san! Hello again!” Nevermind greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Eh? Who’s Hinata?” Owari asked cluelessly from her seat near Nidai.

“Seriously? You met him at the Sports Festival, didn’t you?” Souda questioned.

A look of recognition passed her features. “Oh, right! Henry!”

Hajime decided not to bother correcting her on that. Then,

“Hajime-chaaan!” He flinched at the sound of a shrill voice and felt arms wrap around behind him, squeezing him. He looked over his shoulder to see familiar multi-colored hair and pink eyes. “Ibuki remembered your name! You’re Hajime-chan!”

“That’s right. Glad you remembered.” Hajime relaxed a little, allowing the energetic girl to cling onto his torso.

“Did you remember Ibuki’s name too??”

“Of course. You’re Mioda Ibuki, Ultimate Rockstar.”

“Ding-ding-ding! Hajime-chan got it right! You get a gold star!” Mioda placed a sticker on his cheek which he soon realized was actually a gold star. He chuckled and thanked her, removing the sticker from his cheek.

“You ready to head over to the fountain now?” Nanami asked.

“Huuuh? Where’s Chiaki-chan and Hajime-chan going?” Mioda tilted her head slightly.

“Oh, we were just heading over to the fountain for lunch.” The lilac-haired girl replied.

“You’re leaving us already? But you cannot!” Nevermind interrupted.

“Yeah, come on class rep, we haven’t seen each other for a whole month! Spend some time with us!” Owari seconded.

“But…” Nanami seemed conflicted, fidgeting where she stood.

“It’s okay Nanami,” Hajime gave her a reassuring smile. “You should spend time with your classmates, I’m sure they’ve missed you. Besides, we can still hang out after school.”

“Well… alright. I’ll remember to bring plenty of snacks and games for us to choose from.”

Hajime nodded and watched as the gamer girl was dragged away by her classmates. With that, the students of Class 77 filed out of the room, most likely heading towards the cafeteria or some other place for lunch. He watched them disappear out the door, leaving him in the empty classroom. Or at least he thought it was empty until–

“Hinata-kun!” Hajime jumped at the voice and whirled around to see a pale, cotton-haired boy standing there with a friendly smile on his face. He hadn’t even realized the pale boy was still in the room, having assumed he’d left with his other classmates. “Haha, did I startle you? My apologies, how rude of me.” Komaeda gave him an apologetic look.

“It’s fine…” Hajime was skeptical. It had been a whole month since he last saw this strange person, Komaeda Nagito, the Ultimate Lucky Student. He nearly forgot about him, in all honesty. But now that he was here, he couldn’t help but remember all the previous times he’s spoken with him, from their first meeting in this classroom to the gym bleachers at the Sports Festival, to underneath the wisteria tree on the main course campus. Now here he was again, leaving him with that same feeling of intrigue and uncertainty that he always seemed to leave Hajime with.

“Looks like the two of us got left behind, huh?” Komaeda glanced at the door where the other students left through.

“Seems that way.”

“Hinata-kun, I know this is bold of me to ask, but…” Sage eyes shifted over to meet Hajime’s. “Would you like some company right now?”

“Are you asking me if I want to hang out with you during lunchtime?” Hajime inquired.

“Well, I figured since neither of us has any plans for lunch, you might want someone to accompany you for a short while.”

Hajime considered this. It was true, he didn’t have any other plans since Izuru was busy and Nanami was spending time with her other classmates at the moment. He supposed it couldn’t hurt to spend some time with Komaeda, despite his weirdness. Hajime didn’t realize how silent he had been until Komaeda’s expression became dejected.

“That’s a no, then,” Komaeda smiled. “Forgive me, I understand you wouldn’t want to waste your free time with scum like me.”

Hajime looked up. “Ah, no, I was just thinking is all. I wouldn’t mind spending lunchtime with you, Komeada.”

“Oh,” the pale boy’s face lifted. “Well in that case, to the cafeteria then?”

* * *

Hajime sat with Komaeda at an outside table across from each other. It was a relatively sunny afternoon with only an occasional cloud blocking out the sunlight. There was a slight, cool breeze brushing against his skin and blowing Komaeda's hair. He found himself distracted as he watched the other boy’s fluffy white hair swaying gently in the wind. _I_ _t's like a cloud..._

“It’s good to be back at Hope’s Peak,” Komaeda began, bringing Hajime’s attention back from his hair to the pale boy’s face. “How was your summer break, Hinata-kun?”

“It was okay. I spent a lot of time with my friends and my brother.”

“Ah, you mean Kamukura-kun? You two do seem rather close.”

“I guess so,” Hajime rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, things started out kind of rocky between us, but… I think we’re starting to get somewhere, maybe? I don’t know…”

“I believe you’re overthinking it, Hinata-kun. I know it’s not my place to say this, but it seems to me that Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun both have a close bond, even if they aren’t fully aware of it. They should cherish that.”

Hajime was surprised by that, then he smiled, feeling calmer now after hearing that. “Yeah, you’re right. Anyway, how was your break?” 

“Pretty uneventful, mostly boring,” Komaeda shrugged. “Well, I did find a diamond ring on the ground.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it was pretty lucky. But then I got hit by a car.”

Hajime blinked. “…I’m sorry, what?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing too serious," Komaeda smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "The worse I got was a bruise or two, haha.” 

“Okay…” Hajime then remembered something. “Hey, so, I never got to hear your story.”

“Story?” The pale boy tilted his head slightly.

“The one you were telling me at the Sports Festival, about how you got into this school.”

“Oh, that? I’m surprised you remembered.” Komaeda explained how he won his spot in Hope’s Peak through a random selection in an annual, country-wide lottery. After listening to his story, Hajime understood now why they would give him the title of Ultimate Lucky student. After all, winning a lottery, especially one that would send you to a school as prestigious as Hope’s Peak, is a feat that would be considered very lucky. Though, was that enough to give someone an entire title based around luck? Was that even considered a talent?

“I admit, I have mixed feelings about it,” the white-haired boy mused, playing with the chopsticks on his lunch tray. “I never thought an average, talentless high school student like me would ever enter Hope's Peak Academy. At first… I declined. I told them I didn’t deserve it. But they told me they really wanted me to attend. Apparently, this so-called luck of mine is a talent that even the school doesn’t fully understand. To research it, the school picks the Ultimate Lucky Student every year through an annual lottery.”

“That’s interesting.” Hajime lifted his carton of milk, taking a slow sip.

“I know. Hope’s Peak Academy is amazing if they can actually research something as vague as luck. Well, thanks to that luck, a guy like me was able to attend this school, so for that I’m grateful. But on the other hand… I feel a little out of place here.” Komaeda’s face was melancholy, then it suddenly lit up. “But I suppose it’s worth it if I get to meet such beautiful people like you and Kamukura-kun!”

Hajime snorted out his milk, knocking over the carton as he fell into a fit of hacking and coughing. Whatever was left of the milk was now spilled across the surface of the table.

“Hinata-kun, are you alright?” Komaeda looked concerned.

“Shit—yeah, I’m okay. My nose burns is all…” He rubbed his nose and stood up in his seat, quickly trying to recover from the embarrassing display as he cleaned up his mess. “I’m gonna go get another drink from the vending machine.”

Hajime avoided meeting Komaeda’s gaze as he excused himself from the table. He hadn’t meant to do something that embarrassing, he just didn’t expect that… compliment Komaeda had given him so suddenly. He also didn’t understand why his chest was feeling so warm and fuzzy all of a sudden. He approached the nearest vending machine, examining the selections. Then he inserted some money into the machine, pressing a button. The drink moved just an inch forward but did not fall.

He clicked his tongue. “Seriously?” 

“Here, allow me.” Komaeda appeared from behind him, startling him a little.

“Ah, you don’t have to…”

“It’s no problem at all, really.” Komaeda proceeded to insert his own money into the drink dispenser. Then he pressed the correct button and waited for the drink to drop. The drink moved ever so slightly towards the edge, incredibly close to falling. Yet it remained stuck on the tip of the rack in both a comedic and frustrating fashion.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Hajime huffed.

“Just my luck,” Komaeda chuckled, running his fingers through the fluffy curls on his head. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“It’s probably because of my bad luck that your drink is still stuck in there. You see, sometimes I’m blessed with incredibly good luck. But other times, I’m cursed with incredibly bad luck. Now would appear to be one of those times where my bad luck has caused yet another inconvenience. I’m terribly sorry about that.”

Bad luck? Good luck? Hajime knew the other boy was considered lucky, but he didn’t know it worked like that. Before he could question him more, a strange noise was heard coming from the machine. Both boys turned to look at the machine and saw a red error message flashing on the number display. The machine began to shake, gradually moving more violent. They took a step back and watched as rows of drinks began falling off the racks. Hajime’s eyes widened in shock. Komaeda, on the other hand, looked the least bit surprised, still smiling casually.

“Well, looks like my luck’s beginning to turn.” Komaeda innocently joked.

“Y-you had something to do with this?” Hajime looked at him in disbelief.

The pale boy turned to face him fully, a friendly expression on his face. “Didn’t I tell you? I am the Ultimate Lucky Student.”

* * *

Izuru stared at the two neat stacks of papers on the table in front of him.

He was sitting in the testing room in a lone chair in front of a lone table located at the very center of the room. The testing room was dull, gray walls surrounding him with no windows or decorations; only the chair, table, the lights on the ceiling, and surveillance cameras in the corners of the room. He had been in this room many times. The silence was always suffocating.

Five teachers stood around him, observing him with scrutinizing gazes.

“Izuru, today you are to complete these exams regarding quantum physics. They are all expected to be completed before the end of the day.” One of the teachers, an older male with glasses, directed him. Izuru was silent, continuing to stare at the tall stacks of papers in front of him. The first stack was made of exam papers while the second stack was made of unfilled scantrons. 

This was an excessive number of exams and an amount that he was not normally given, though he could already deduce why this was happening. His teachers were giving him more work in order to prevent him from spending time with his brother. This could also be interpreted as a form of punishment, an attempt at dissuading Izuru from staying involved with Hajime by forcing him to complete an excess of tedious tasks as consequence.

The teachers think they can discourage him. Very well. He would play along, for now.

Izuru took a paper from both stacks, placed them down on the surface of the table, picked up a perfectly sharpened pencil, and filled in the first answer on the scantron. His teachers were watching him closely for a few minutes, one of them writing something down on a clipboard before all five of them left, leaving him in the silent, empty room.

He was already on the next exam sheet when he felt the cellphone in his pocket vibrate. He kept his eyes on his paper, knowing that the teachers were watching him on the surveillance cameras, and stealthily pulled out the phone, hiding it underneath the table as he checked the message.

_Hajime_

_1:05 PM_

_[1:05 PM]_

_**Hajime:** videogame session in my dorm tonight with me and Nanami, you coming?_

Izuru discreetly typed out a response.

_[1:05 PM]_

**_I_** _ **zuru:** Yes._

He slid the cellphone back into his pocket and continued testing.

* * *

Hajime browsed through his phone as he waited for Izuru and Nanami to arrive. Pretty soon, a knock on the door sounded. He got up and opened the door to see his twin standing there, holding a bookbag in his hand for some reason.

“You made it.” Hajime smiled and stepped aside, allowing him through. Izuru silently stepped into the room and promptly looked around, examining the area. He watched as the twin explored, snooping around the bed, drawers, dresser, and the rest of the room. It was as if he were committing each detail of the room to his memory. He should probably feel violated right now, Hajime thought, but he was steadily growing used to his brother’s odd antics. “Sure, make yourself at home.” Hajime quipped as he shut the door.

Once he finished his little exploration, Izuru sat down at Hajime’s desk, unzipped the bookbag he’d been holding, and pulled out what appeared to be a stack of papers and a pencil. He neatly placed the papers onto the desk in two separate piles then started to fill them out. Hajime walked over to the raven-haired twin, looking over him to see that the papers he was filling out were… exams?

“What the…? Who gives this many exams on the first day back at school?” Hajime questioned. Izuru didn’t reply to that as he continued filling out the papers. Then there was another knock on the door. Hajime walked back over to the door and opened it. Nanami stood there, face hidden by the armful of videogames, controllers, and snacks she was holding.

“Ready to play?” she muffled, holding a controller cord in her mouth. Minutes later, the three of them were sitting on the edge of the bed, controllers in hand. Videogames and snacks were splayed out on the blanket. Izuru pointed out the excess of sucrose and sodium in the snacks Nanami had brought over in which Nanami pointed out “it’s gamer food” and proceeded to crack open a can of soda pop, offering it to the raven-haired twin. Izuru reluctantly accepted the soda, then the three of them began to play.

They started with Mario Party. Nanami had brought two extra controllers, making it so that all three of them could play together. They selected Party Mode and played against each other along with a CPU. The game was hectic, and Izuru won all the rounds, though Nanami came close several times. Hajime wondered if Nanami chose this game based on its unpredictability thinking Izuru would enjoy it more. He wasn’t sure if Izuru was able to predict the outcomes of the games, but if he did predict them, he didn’t comment on it.

They played a few other games after that, some competitive and some team games. They got so absorbed in gaming that they hadn’t noticed how much time had passed. At some point, Nanami began to doze off as they were playing. Her eyelids fell closed, body leaning towards the left until her head gently fell onto Izuru’s shoulder. Izuru’s eyes shifted to Nanami’s sleeping form, looking at her wordlessly. Hajime paused the game and reached over, gently shaking her shoulder.

“Hey, Nanami.” Hajime whispered.

“Hmm?” she murmured, head still resting against Izuru’s shoulder.

“I think it’s time we get you back to your dorm.”

“Hrmm, okay…” she yawned, rubbing her eyes and lifting her head off Izuru’s shoulder. After packing up the games and controllers, Hajime and Izuru proceeded to walk Nanami back to her dorm.

Shortly after dropping Nanami off, Hajime and Izuru began walking back from the main course students' dormitories. It was evening outside now and close to curfew. As they headed down the pathway, Hajime looked over at Izuru who’s facial expression was in its usual blank fashion. There was a thought in the back of his mind that had been nagging him for a while now, and now that they were alone, he decided to confront it.

“Hey, so um…” Hajime shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked. “Can I ask you something?”

“You need not my permission.” Izuru stated flatly.

“Right. Well, I was just wondering… how come you live here at the academy? You stayed here during summer vacation and you never talk about going to any other home, and your teachers give you super difficult exams on the first day back. That’s pretty odd, don’t you think?”

Izuru was quiet, slowing to a stop. Hajime slowed down as well, turning to look at his brother. Moonlight shone down on them, casting Izuru in a pale light, making him look almost ethereal. It reminded Hajime of when they first met. It had only been a few months ago and yet it felt like ages ago.

Back then, the twin had appeared so mysterious, almost untouchable, a legend that he was fortunate enough to witness. But now, even if he were still mysterious, he felt more… real to Hajime, not a myth, but more like, just another person with flaws and all. More like himself. The raven-haired twin stood silently, appearing to be in deep thought as he contemplated his response. When he was finished, red eyes met back with Hajime's.

“I’ve always been here,” Izuru began, his gaze distant. “This is all I’ve known for my entire existence. The furthest day that I can remember existing is at the early age of five. The earliest memory I can conjure is when I opened my eyes and was told my purpose.”

 _The early age of five…_ Hajime thought about this as he listened.

“Since then, I have resided within this same place, performing endless tasks under the guidance of my teachers. It is my purpose.” Although his voice was monotone, Hajime could hear the weariness in his words, his eyes appearing almost glassy. He felt his chest tightening on the inside and the need to say something important, but he wasn’t sure how to say it.

“…Hey, do you wanna come back to my dorm and hang out a little longer?” Hajime suggested instead. “We could watch a movie together.”

Izuru looked at him again, silent for a moment, then replied. “Very well.”

* * *

Izuru was seated by Hajime as they stared at the television screen. The movie was boring. It was a mystery film, although Izuru already figured out the entire mystery about one-third into the movie. He imagined the movie wasn’t the real reason the twin had invited him back over to the dorm.

“…Hey, Izuru?” His suspicions were confirmed at the sound of the twin’s hesitant voice. Izuru turned his head to look at Hajime, olive eyes looking at him with uncertainty. The brunet slightly fidgeted his seat, averting his attention to the ground. “I don’t fully understand the situation you’re in, but… from where I’m standing, it doesn’t sound all that great. In fact, it sounds to me like this school is just using you...”

Izuru was silent, watching as the other boy spoke his thoughts.

“I just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to, ya’ know, be stuck here like this. You don’t have to do anything those teachers tell you to. You have a choice.”

“I have nowhere else to go,” Izuru replied. “I have no other purpose in life.”

“No, that’s wrong,” Hajime refuted him. “Because… I’m here. You can stay with me. And maybe you don’t have to have a purpose, but if you’re really unsure of what to do with yourself, we could figure that out too. Together.”

“You’d go that far out of your way for me. Why?”

“Come on, isn’t it obvious? I mean…” Hajime looked away, rubbing the back of his neck with cheeks slightly tinted pink. “…you’re my brother. I care about you and I want you to be happy.”

“…I see. I will consider your words.” Izuru pondered the idea of caring for another person. Did he care for Hajime? He would prefer if Hajime were alive rather than deceased, that much was certain. He would also prefer if he were healthy in both a physical and mental sense.

Now that he's thought about it, he has never been this invested in another human being before meeting Hajime. People often bored him, and usually he held no interest in interacting with them. Sometimes it felt as if Izuru were on a different plane of existence; not a real person, just an observer spectating those around him. Sometimes it felt as if everyone else were just puppets, that none of them were real. Hajime was the first person who did not seem that way to him. He was there. He was real. Sometimes, he even made Izuru feel real.

So by that logic, he supposed, in a way, that he must… _care_ for Hajime as well, at least to some extent. How far that extent went, he had yet to know, but he would acknowledge that he at least felt some form of cherishment towards his twin which was more than he ever felt for anyone.

* * *

Sakakura Juzo was the Head of Security at Hope’s Peak Academy. It was Munakata’s idea for him to take this position, claiming it would help him stay close to Munakata and Yukizome as they investigated the Steering Committee and the suspicious activity going on in the school. Munakata was a smart person and an incredible leader; he knew there was something fishy going on in this school.

The Reserve Course Department had been constructed, and to apply for it, a ridiculously high tuition fee must be paid. That money had to have been going somewhere. Question is, where was the money going? Munakata was determined to find out, so when he asked Juzo to apply as Head of Security and to assist him, of course, he accepted.

Juzo was in his office filling out paperwork at his desk when suddenly, the door to his office burst open. He jumped in his seat, looking across the room to see two teenage girls in his doorway, one with two big blonde pigtails and the other with short black hair.

“Heeey everybody! Junko Enoshima has arrived~!” The blonde announced, posing as if she were standing in front of an audience. The other girl was stoic and silent, standing there stiffly.

“Who the hell are you?” Juzo immediately grew defensive, rising to his feet. These teenagers had no business storming into his office this late at night and Juzo didn’t need to be a rocket science to tell that these girls were trouble. The blonde one approached the desk while the black-haired girl guarded the door.

“Now now, play nice. Unless you want the whole world to know your secret.” The blonde girl casually sat on top of his desk.

“Secret?” Juzo narrowed his eyes, having no clue what she meant. It was then that the pigtailed girl pulled out her cellphone and showed it to him. He looked down at the screen and saw photos of Munukata with cutesy pink heart filters. Juzo’s eyes widened at the realization of what she meant.

“Do you see what I’m getting at? Do you realize the position you’re in now?” The blonde smirked. “If Munakata found out, what do you think he would do?”

“No! Stop!” Juzo suddenly became terrified. There’s no way Munakata could find out about this, about how he truly felt. If he found out, his whole world would be…

“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone about your little boy crush. Under one condition.” She waved her phone tauntingly, emphasizing the control she currently had over him. Juzo realized now that he had no choice. He had to comply.

“…What is it that you want?” Juzo asked.

“Good boy,” her eyes became dark. “Now then, I need you to do something for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Sometimes I daydream about Hajime, Izuru, Chiaki, and a fourth person whom I-will-not-name-yet-but-you-can-probably-guess, playing Mario Party, and I smile. I’m stuck between deciding which Mario Party they’d play. I’m thinking between 4, 6, and 8. What do you guys think?  
> \- Also I can’t decide if Hajime would be Luigi and Izuru as Mario for the matching colors or if it would be better if Hajime was Mario and Izuru was Luigi. Please help me decide, these are important questions–  
> \- As I mentioned at the very beginning, I haven’t actually watched all of Danganronpa 3, so characters such as Juzo are being written mainly on research. I would also like to mention that the timeline is a bit mixed up, meaning certain events that may have taken place canonically have not taken place yet. This is an Alternate Universe, so some things may happen a little differently (or not at all) in comparison to canon.  
> \- Next Update: 1/9/21


	12. Sucker Punch

The following day, Hajime was eating lunch at the fountain. Izuru and Nanami sat beside him, both absorbed in their Nantendos. He watched the two of them play against each other as he ate, shortly before glancing to his left side to see a figure approaching them in the distance. He squinted his eyes, watching as the figure drew closer.

“Hey, isn’t that…?” Hajime began to recognize the features of a slim figure, pale skin, and fluffy white hair.

“Oh, it’s Komaeda-kun.” Nanami lowered her Nantendo. Komaeda walked up to them, a bright expression on his face as he held a tray of lunch in his hands.

“Nanami-san! Hinata-kun! Kamukura-kun!” Komaeda chirped. “I didn’t realize you three would be here. I was just wandering around when I happened to stumble upon you all. How lucky!”

“Hey, Komaeda-kun. Would you like to join us for lunch?” Nanami suggested.

“You’re asking _me_ to join you? That’s awfully kind of you, but I wouldn’t want to intrude on such close friends.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Are you guys okay with it?” The lilac-haired girl looked at him and Izuru.

“It does not matter to me.” Izuru disregarded with a blank face as he ate his lunch.

Hajime shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine with it.”

“Hmm, well in that case, I’d be honored to join you all.” Komaeda smiled and positioned himself on the ground by the bench, sitting cross-legged with his tray in his lap.

“Uh, you don’t have to sit on the ground you know,” Hajime gestured towards the bench. “We could make room…”

“Haha, it’s fine, don’t worry,” Komaeda raised his palms. “I don’t mind sitting here. Just enjoy your lunch, don’t mind me.”

Hajime felt uncertain for a moment before shrugging it off and continued eating. He wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about the white-haired boy being there, but he decided to leave it be. It was probably just a one-time thing anyway.

* * *

It was now routine for Komaeda to join them at the fountain during lunch. The first two days Komaeda had shown up to the fountain, claiming that it was just ‘by luck’ that he found himself there. Both times, Nanami had invited Komaeda to join them. Then the third day, Komaeda had shown up again, and by that point, Hajime knew this would be a regular circumstance.

He remembered the white-haired boy showing up the third day exclaiming, “Hinata-kun! We meet ag–“

“Yeah, yeah, just sit down.” Hajime had interrupted.

Lunch with Komaeda certainly was… something. He always sat cross-legged on the ground and often times he would be rambling on about hope, his luck, or his admiration for the school and its students. He would ask Hajime questions in between his ramblings like what he thought about hope or details about his relationship with Izuru. He tried asking Izuru questions too, but his responses were usually brief, blunt, and neutral, leaving little room for further conversation.

From what Hajime could tell, Komaeda was talkative and very eager to express his thoughts. He couldn’t really understand most of what the white-haired boy was talking about, and it did get annoying sometimes. But it also didn’t seem like Komaeda had many friends. He’s even expressed that despite being in the Main Course, he feels like an outcast. Maybe the lucky boy was just lonely and eager for some company. Could Hajime really judge him for that?

He thought about this as he approached the main gates, heading towards the fountain with his lunch tray in hand.

“Hey, you!” Hajime stopped at the sound of an older, masculine voice. He looked over his shoulder to see a tall, muscular guy with dark green hair, sharp eyes, and a blue uniform coming his way. There was a strong, overbearing aura emitting from his being, and the word _mean_ seemed to be written all over his face. “Where do you think you’re going?” Intense pink eyes glowered down at him.

Hajime tensed beneath the man’s sharp gaze. “Um, through the gate—?”

“Reserve Course students aren’t allowed in the main course building. Beat it, punk.”

“Oh, I’m not going in the main building. I’m just meeting with my friends in the courtyard for lunch.”

“Not happening.” The man stepped closer to him.

“But I need to get in th—“ Hajime didn’t have time to argue as suddenly, the man grabbed his collar, tossing him backward. He yelped in alarm and fell to the ground, his back hitting the pavement. Wincing, he ignored the dull pain in his back and slowly pulled himself up in a sitting position. Eyes fluttered opened to see the contents of his lunch tray spilled all over the ground. He looked up at the man who was now hovering over him and recognition passed through him.

“I know you…” Hajime said. “You’re the Ultimate Boxer. You won the World Championship Boxing Tournament, and now you’re the head of security at Hope’s Peak...” The man before him said nothing in response to that. Hajime sat up further, positioning himself on his knees. “Look, I’m just trying to meet with my friends for lunch. They’re waiting for me, so please, I have to get through.”

The security guard sighed in annoyance, running his hand through his hair. “Your friends, huh? Tch, you reserve course students are so full of yourselves. Prancing around, acting like you belong here with the main course students. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

Hajime flinched, feeling a flame spark up inside of him. He threw a glare at the man above him, hands clenched. “What the hell is your problem? My friends are still my friends, no matter which course we’re in.”

“Considering yourself _friends_ with the main course is an insult in itself. If anything, you’re only holding them back, like a mosquito sucking off the blood of those greater than them.”

“What did you just say?” Hajime shot up to his feet. “You bastard!” He swung his fists at the security guard, blood boiling beneath his skin. The man dodged and weaved through each of his attacks before quickly ducking underneath his arm and landing a punch straight to his gut. Hajime wheezed, all air escaping him as he collapsed to the ground.

“You talentless people are useless," the man stared down at Hajime as if he were a piece of gum stuck to his shoe. "Even if you were to die now, you’d only be more of a hassle for me to deal with. You bring down the whole place, either way.” 

Hajime coughed, clutching his stomach in pain as he tried desperately to push away the man’s words. A trickle of blood ran down his bottom lip, but he ignored it, choosing instead to shoot a glare at the man above him.

“So what if I’m not one of your precious elite students? Our lives are all worth the same!” Hajime snapped. The man lifted his foot and slammed it down on Hajime’s back, mocking him.

“No, they’re really not,” the man sneered. “Grow up, kid. You can’t make diamonds out of scrap metal. Act like a normal high school student, hang out with the other normal students, and enjoy your lives, thinking you’re all great. Got it?” Hajime refused to shut his eyes no matter how much he wanted to, his gaze burning into the man. The boxer seemed unfazed as he continued. “I know kids like you… you start acting all special, just because you interact with the Main Course a little. Honestly, this is why I hate normal people. You cling to the talent of the main course students like crap trailing behind a goldfish.”

“You’re wrong…” Hajime seethed through his teeth. “There’s more to life than just being talented.”

“You’re right,” the man smirked. “The talentless should act as befits them. If you have time to envy the talented, use that time to live like a gear in a machine. For people like you, who have no talent, you don’t need to think. If you live life idly, groveling before your betters, nothing can make you happier.”

Hajime felt the last bit of his composure snap. He cried out in fury and shot to his feet, rapidly swinging his fists at the security guard as adrenaline pumped through his veins. The boxer was caught by surprise from this outburst and just narrowly missed Hajime’s fist as it grazed his chin.

The man growled, reeling back his arm. “Ballsy little punk—!“

Hajime closed his eyes, preparing to feel the impact of a solid fist hitting his face. But it never came. He peeked open an eye, only to see white, fluffy hair directly in front of him, blocking his vision. Komaeda stood between them, the boxer’s fist stopped inches away from the pale boy’s face. The lucky boy didn’t seem the least bit concerned about it as he looked directly at the security guard.

“I’ll have to ask you not to do that, sir.” Komaeda’s voice was as eerily calm as his expression. 

“Walk away, kid," the guard warned. "This doesn’t concern you.” 

“Oh, but it does. You see, Hinata-kun here is a friend of mine. We’re supposed to be having lunch together.” he smiled. “Now then, would you kindly step aside so that my friend and I can go eat our lunches? We might be late for classes if we don’t make it on time.”

“…” The man was quiet, seeming conflicted. Then after a few seconds of tense silence, he ‘tched’ and walked away, leaving Hajime and Komaeda alone by the main gates. Hajime panted, taking a moment to recollect himself. His heart was still racing from the rush of adrenaline, but his breathing was beginning to slowly even out again. Once the guard was fully out of sight, Komaeda turned around to face Hajime.

“Hinata-kun, are you alright?” Komaeda’s eyes widened as he noticed something on Hajime’s face. “You’re bleeding!”

“I’m alright…” Hajime looked over at the other boy. “Thanks for helping me. That guy was an asshole.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Though I do understand where the guard was coming from.”

“What do you mean?” he frowned, hoping he’d misheard the other.

“If I were in his position, I would’ve probably been concerned about letting you pass into the main building as well. It is his job after all, and reserve students aren’t meant to be on the same grounds as the elite main course. But he doesn’t know how special Hinata-kun actually is, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Komaeda grabbed a napkin from the disassembled lunch tray on the ground and reached out towards Hajime’s face to wipe the thin trail of blood. Hajime smacked the white-haired boy’s hand away before he could and threw a glare at him, startling him. Any appreciation he had for the other boy just a moment ago was dissolved by the bullshit he was spouting. He turned around and stormed off towards the fountain, ignoring the confused-looking Komaeda silently following behind him.

* * *

Izuru knew something was wrong. Hajime had yet to show up at the fountain and neither did the lucky student. He nor Nanami had received any calls or text messages from him since yesterday. It was irregular for his twin to be this late without warning, which meant there was a good possibility that something went wrong. Nanami sat beside Izuru on the bench, not hiding her concern as she nervously fiddled with the strings of her hoodie.

“They’re not usually this late, and they’re not responding to my texts…” Nanami turned her head, looking at him with worry-filled eyes. “I think we should go looking for them. They might be in trouble.”

He nodded in agreement. With Izuru’s luck and analytical skills, it wouldn’t be too difficult to track down the whereabouts of his twin, and there was a possibility that the lucky student was with him as well. Just as they were about to begin their search, Izuru spotted two figures approaching in the distance.

The first figure he saw was Hajime followed by the lucky student who was trailing slightly behind him. His eyes locked onto the brunet and immediately he noticed something was wrong. The twin’s appearance was ragged, his uniform disheveled, scrapes against the surface of his skin, and a thin trail of blood running down his bottom lip. All indicators suggest that he’d been involved in a physical fight.

“Hinata-kun!” Nanami shot to her feet. “What happened?”

“I was on my way here when I… ran into some problems. Sorry I’m late...” Hajime looked apologetic. Izuru stood up and approached Hajime. Once directly in front of him, he grabbed the twin’s chin, turning his head from side to side as he inspected him. “H-hey!” the brunet protested. Izuru ignored him and continued inspecting his face.

_[Analysis: Minor laceration on lower lip. Multiple scrapes against skin. Early signs of bruising on right cheek. Minimal external injuries sustained. No signs of internal injury.]_

_[Conclusion: Zero signs of significant damage. No medical assistance required.]_

After making sure there were no significant damages, he released his hold and looked directly at Hajime.

“Who did this?” Izuru inquired.

The brunet averted his gaze. "It's nothing. Just some jerk—" 

“It was the head of security’s doing," the lucky student interrupted. "I believe he’s also known as the Ultimate Boxer.” 

“Why would the head of security attack Hinata-kun?” Nanami questioned.

“Apparently, he was trying to prevent Hinata-kun from going into the Main Course building.”

“That’s no excuse to beat him up!” her cheeks puffed out indignantly. “Hinata-kun has been in this courtyard countless times before!”

“That is strange, isn’t it?” the lucky student rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Why would the head of security bother trying to stop Hinata-kun now, when he’s clearly been in the courtyard countless times already?”

Izuru already knew how and why it happened. In fact, there was a ninety-six percent probability that this was Enoshima’s doing. He pulled a handkerchief out of his suit pocket and wiped the trail of blood from Hajime’s face, ignoring the twin’s embarrassed protests as he contemplated how he would approach this situation. It wasn’t long before it was decided. He would need to have a word with Enoshima.

* * *

Later that day, Izuru found Enoshima in the security guard’s office. She sat casually on the desk in the back of the room, one leg crossed over the other with a half-eaten, red apple in her hand. Ikusaba was there as well, wiping her blade, only to freeze and stiffen at the sight of him. Enoshima on the other hand seemed unperturbed by his presence.

“Mukuro, go be useful for once and guard the door.” Enoshima tossed her half-eaten apple at the soldier’s head, watching it bounce off and roll away.

“Yes, sis’…” Ikusaba side-eyed Izuru as she walked past him, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. Enoshima uncrossed her legs and opened her arms wide in a welcoming gesture.

“Kamukura~! Long time no see, babe!” she gushed.

“I know that was your doing with the security guard.” Izuru ignored her nonsensical behavior and got straight to the point.

“Who, meee? I would never! Come on now, is that any way to greet a friend?”

“You and I are not friends. Furthermore, if you kill Hajime or make any attempts to kill him, I will terminate you.”

“My my, so serious…” blue eyes narrowed in challenge. “How do I know you aren’t bluffing? After all, if I kill Hinata, you’d have no reason to kill me since he’d already be dead. Killing me wouldn’t change that, so wouldn’t it be pointless to try and kill me if I already murdered him? Doesn’t that go against your whole _logical_ persona?”

“Perhaps. But if you take away the one interesting thing in my life, I will take away the one interesting thing in your life.” he stared her down intensely. “You can’t feel your precious despair if you’re dead.”

It was a standoff. If Enoshima killed Hajime, Izuru would kill Enoshima. It would be quick and most likely painless, giving her an anticlimactic death. He knew Enoshima wouldn’t be willing to risk that.

Because that would be a boring ending for them both, and they both knew it.

“Yeah yeah, I knew you would say something like that,” she sighed and rolled her eyes, hopping off the desk. “Relax, I don’t plan on killing your precious brother. But just so you know, you can’t always be there to protect him. Take Sakakura for example. There’s no telling how far that security guard was willing to go if he hadn’t been stopped. He could’ve been beaten to death for all we know.”

Enoshima circled him. “There are numerous outside forces at work that could take him away at any moment, and there’s no way to stop them all from happening. Just imagine it! He could be walking down the road someday, just minding his own business, then suddenly– BAM! A truck slams into him and splatters him across the pavement! Or maybe he’s lying down in bed sleeping safe and sound, when suddenly a crazy serial killer breaks in and stabs him repeatedly with a pair of scissors! Stab, stab, stab!” she jabbed at the air.

Izuru resisted the small urge to cringe at the unpleasant imagery formulating in his mind.

“It’s awful, isn’t it? Something so tragic happening to him. It absolutely could happen at any moment, though. Ah, just imagine the despair~” she giggled and squirmed in place. Izuru decided then that the conversation was over and turned to make his way out of the room. “Hmm, leaving so soon? Come on, stay a little longer! It’s not like something tragically happened to your brother already. Or did it?”

He ignored her mocking laughter as he pushed past the door, passing by Ikusaba on his way out. It was illogical to think that Hajime was in danger again after just being with him a mere few hours ago. And yet, for some reason, the gruesome images of his imaginary death lingered in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Hajime is not afraid to throw hands  
> \- Did I catch anyone by surprise by having Nagito appear instead of Chisa? Or were you expecting Izuru?  
> \- Next Update: 1/16/21


	13. Intrusive Thoughts and Contemplation

Hajime fell asleep that night feeling exhausted and sore, the adrenaline having gone away by now. When he woke up, he hardly felt any more refreshed. His thoughts lingered on yesterday’s events, the security guard’s sneering face still fresh in his mind. Knots twisted in his stomach as he recalled all the things that man had said to him, venomous words replaying in his mind over and over. 

_"...you reserve course students are so full of yourselves..."_

_"...you’re only holding them back..."_

_"...you talentless people are useless..."_

_"...cling to the talent of the main course students..."_

_"...even if you were to die now, you’d only be more of a hassle..."_

He shook his head desperately, ceasing the thoughts. Don't think about it. If he thinks about it too much, he may fall down into a dark hole, and he wasn't confident that he'd be able to crawl back out of it. It was better not to think about that security guard or his words.

Then there was Komaeda.

Hajime had mixed feelings about him. On one hand, the lucky boy had defended him against the security guard which wasn’t something he had to do. But on the other hand, he only defended him because he thought he was special, not because he actually cared. Had Hajime just been a normal reserve course student in his eyes, would Komaeda still have bothered to help him, or would he have allowed the security guard to beat him up—encouraged it even?

Why was Hajime so _special_ to Komaeda anyway when they hardly knew each other? Maybe it was because he shared blood with his super talented brother that Komaeda deemed him worthy enough. Then again, he hadn’t thought much of him at first even when he did know he had a talented brother. Maybe he was overthinking it and this was all just a mind game Komaeda was playing just to mess with him.

Thinking about the enigma that was Komaeda was leading him towards a massive headache. He decided he didn’t want the white-haired boy occupying his mind any longer. He needed a distraction, so that Saturday morning, he grabbed his cellphone and invited Izuru over to his dorm. Thankfully, it was the weekend so at least he could relax for a couple of days before having to go back to dealing with asshole security guards and white-haired weirdos. Izuru replied swiftly, agreeing to come over, and so Hajime waited for him, trying not to fall back into his cesspool of negative thoughts.

About half an hour later, he heard a knock on the door and opened it to his twin standing before him.

“There you are. I was wondering when you were gonna show up–” Hajime stopped when he noticed his twin’s strange appearance. He looked the same as usual, except the overflowing mass of hair on his head appeared to be infested with twigs, burs, and leaves sticking out of it. “Whoa, what happened to your hair?”

“I was hunting in the forest.” Izuru monotonously replied.

“…Right. Well your hair looks like a bird’s nest right now.” Hajime decided not to question whatever crazy assignment Izuru’s teachers had sent him on and instead opened the drawer to his nightstand, pulling out a hairbrush. “Come here, I’ll fix it.”

Izuru wordlessly walked over to him and sat down at the edge of the bed, turning his back towards him. Hajime sat next to him, gently took hold of his raven locks, and slowly dragged the brush through his hair. _Wow, his hair is so soft…_ Hajime had been told before (mainly by Nanami) that his own hair was surprisingly soft and silky, but Izuru’s was far more noticeable.

Hajime wondered what it would be like if his own hair could grow out this long. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to pull off a look like that; even though he and his brother shared the same face, for some reason, he still thinks Izuru would look better with that hair than he would. Not to mention, it would probably be a hassle to maintain every day, so maybe he was okay with only his brother being blessed with goddess hair.

He took his time brushing each foreign item out of his long hair. “I have no idea where you get all this hair from, because mom and dad’s hair aren’t like this.” He commented, removing another leaf.

“Is that so?” Izuru replied with sudden interest.

“Yeah, well I guess mom does have long hair, but not nearly this long. It’s also black, like yours. Dad’s hair is pretty short and brown, like mine.” Hajime used his fingers to disentangle a particularly stubborn knot with a twig entrapped within it, then he continued brushing. “…I’ll take you to go meet them sometime if you want. I still don’t know the whole story about why they kept you a secret from me, or why you were separated from us in the first place, but… hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Izuru was silent, seeming to contemplate these words. Eventually, his hair was completely brushed out. Hajime set the brush down, using his fingers to pick out any remaining twigs, leaves, and burs. Then he combed his fingers through his hair for good measure, making sure there weren't any knots or nature left in his hair.

As he was doing so, his fingers brushed over his scalp, and he suddenly felt a strange texture beneath his fingertips on a section hidden beneath his hair. His fingers stopped in place. Izuru didn’t seem to react to the touch, so he allowed his fingertips to feel around the strange area on his scalp, tracing the skin. The texture seemed to be in a line running from ear to ear right along the back of his neck. _Wait a minute… Is this…?_

There was no denying it. These were scars.

Lead sunk into his stomach upon the realization. What did this mean? Why would someone have scars on the back of their head? Izuru was still sitting face forward, having yet to say anything about what Hajime just uncovered, though it still seemed as if he were watching him. He realized the twin was giving him a choice, to question the mysterious scars and approach the unsettling subject, or to leave it be and not risk crossing into unknown territory. 

Hajime did want to approach it. But at the same time, he was hesitant. There was already so much on his mind since yesterday’s incident—he wasn’t sure if he was ready for whatever this new discovery could mean. Not to mention, if the truth was actually that bad, he didn’t want to bring up bad memories for Izuru and possibly ruin their day together. Though it was possible the truth wasn't that bad—maybe it wasn't a big deal at all. But if it was, then...

He decided he would address it later when his mind was clearer.

“Okay, I’m done.” Hajime stood up and carried the trash can back to where it belonged. A few seconds later, Izuru was sitting back over at the desk, writing down on more papers that he pulled from his bag. He scoffed. “Again with that? Why are your teachers giving you so much work?”

“They are giving me an excessive amount of assignments to prevent me from visiting you.” Izuru answered simply, his eyes never leaving his papers as he filled out the scantron. Hajime flinched at that.

“Really? That’s…” Guilt and indignation stirred up inside him. The more he was discovering about this school and the kinds of people who run it, the more disgusted he found himself feeling. Right now wasn’t the time to be ruminating over that, however. Hajime picked up one of the papers and examined it. There were loads of different shapes and symbols that seemed math-related, most of which he did not recognize.

_Okay, this is way beyond my IQ level…_

He set the paper back down and grabbed a fresh bottle of water instead, setting it on the desk beside Izuru. He might not be able to do much, but he would still help as much as he could. Izuru seemed to appreciate the effort, nevertheless, accepting the water as he worked on the written assessments. He continued to assist the raven-haired twin whenever he could while his mind inevitably wandered back off to the person he’d rather not be thinking about. There really was no point in thinking about him, but he couldn’t help but wonder what went through Komaeda’s head.

* * *

Nagito was sometimes lucky. Truly, lucky.

When he first met Hinata-kun, he could only think how terribly _average_ this boy was. A Reserve Course student, someone with no talents to show for. A nobody. It baffled him how Nanami-san could lower herself to such standards by considering someone like that to be her friend. Then again, she also considered Nagito her friend, and he was just as terrible of a person (it’s not like he had a real talent after all, he was only here by luck!). Perhaps Nanami-san was just so benevolent that she would offer such lowly people her kindness. She was truly an icon worth being given the title of Class Representative.

He figured that had to be the only reason – because of Nanami-san’s kindness, not because there was anything particularly special about this boy. But just in case, he decided he would follow Hinata-kun for a short while. Then to his surprise, he discovered that the reserve course student had a twin brother: Kamukura Izuru, the Ultimate Hope. They were opposites, one of them the most talented among talent, and the other the most average among the talentless.

How ironic, Nagito thought! Was it bad luck that he met someone as basic as Hinata-kun and good luck that he met someone as special as Kamukura-kun shortly after that? No, that didn’t seem right. There was something about Hinata-kun in particular that still nagged at him, but he couldn’t pinpoint what that something was.

Then there was the hallway incident. Nagito had been there when the quarrel went down. Hinata-kun had gotten himself into a heated argument with Matsuda-kun, the Ultimate Neurologist. It had started with something trivial and quickly escalated from there. He remembered thinking to himself, how bold Hinata-kun was to be standing against someone much more superior than him like Matsuda-kun. The feisty reserve student was stepping out of his place, something Komaeda-kun would normally find shameful.

Then Matsuda-kun said something particularly insulting towards Kamukura-kun, and Hinata-kun had gotten quite upset by that, more so than he was initially. In response, Hinata-kun had defended his brother’s name, demanding that Matsuda-kun not speak about him in such an ill-manner. Nagito would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little surprised by that. Did Hinata-kun know his place after all and was using his position as the Ultimate Hope’s brother to defend his twin’s honor? It was the best a talentless reserve student could have to offer, after all, serving as a stepping stool for those greater than them.

The argument became truly heated after that. But when Matsuda-kun moved to grab Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun had finally stepped in and knocked the neurologist back with incredible strength, protecting his twin brother.

It was a sight to behold. Such a beautiful moment, a bond shared between the two twins. Kamukura-kun being the talented one, you would guess that he would have already found a way to settle the situation long before it escalated. But it was because of his brother that he chose to act, that he displayed such radiant hope. Hinata-kun also acted, displaying bravery in the face of an Ultimate if it meant defending his brother’s honor. It was as if both of them were strengthened by each other, balancing each other, a yin and yang. That’s when he knew that Hinata-kun was not like Nagito or any of the other reserve students. He was special, truly special, an exception among the untalented masses.

Nagito remembered feeling thrilled by this discovery! He decided then that he wanted to appreciate this hope between the twins from afar, to observe and help their hope flourish in any way he could without directly interfering. It was the best a nobody like him could offer this world, after all, a chance to serve those greater than him and to help them prosper.

But strangely enough, he found himself gravitating towards them instead of keeping his distance. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps he was curious to see what kind of people they were, the passionate Hinata-kun and the aloof Kamukura-kun. But he knew he was also being selfish, allowing himself to step too close to the light that was Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun. It was only a matter of time before he got burned by this light, that fate would reprimand him for allowing himself to indulge in something he didn’t deserve to have any part of.

Nagito was sometimes unlucky. Truly, unlucky.

The incident with the security guard was one he hadn’t been expecting. His luck had brought him to Hinata-kun and he was able to save him from the assailant. But what happened after that was… less fortunate.

Nagito wasn’t sure what he’d said or done wrong, but he was almost certain that whatever he did had upset Hinata-kun. After they returned to the fountain, Hinata-kun did not talk or even look at him for the rest of the lunch period. Not that he deserved any of Hinata-kun’s attention, but he couldn’t help but notice the brunet actively ignoring him right after that incident occurred. Nagito wasn’t the best at picking up on social cues, he knew this, but it was obvious that he had done _something_ to make Hinata-kun unhappy.

How unlucky… Nagito was already being a burden to him. Perhaps Hinata-kun would be happier if he left them alone. That’s what he was supposed to be doing in the first place, after all. Nagito wouldn’t have to worry about him or his bad luck damaging the hope that is Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun if he kept his distance and left them be.

…Then again, it was Nagito’s good luck that brought him to Hinata-kun when he got attacked by the security guard. There’s no telling what could’ve happened if he hadn’t been there to intervene. With that in mind, perhaps it would be better to stay nearby him, just until he was sure he was safe. He would keep close, but he would still stay in his place, being sure not to let his bad luck influence Hinata-kun or to upset him again. And if Hinata-kun truly wanted him to leave him be, he could always simply tell him and of course, he would oblige.

Stay close but not too close. Nagito was sure he could manage that. After all, how hard could it be?

* * *

Chiaki strategically mashed the buttons on her console controller, eyes focused on the screen of her TV. Mortal Kombat wasn’t a game she played often, but she felt like playing something violent and competitive. After the incident yesterday, she couldn’t stop feeling antsy. She wanted to talk to her teacher about what happened and figured if anyone could do something about it, Yukizome-san could. But she wouldn’t be able to talk to her in person until Monday, as it was currently the weekend.

She told herself to be patient and to try to cheer up. Videogames were normally a good distraction for her whenever she was feeling bothered. But she couldn’t stop thinking about how Hinata-kun had looked so roughed up and defeated. How could someone—no, not just someone, a _security guard_ —do something like that to her friend? Hinata-kun was one of the nicest, most sincere people she’d ever meant. He didn’t deserve to get beaten up over something so small like walking through a gate.

Chiaki lost focus again, failing to block the last attack from her opponent. Her health was completely drained and a loud FINISH HER sounded from the TV before her opponent tore her character apart and mutilated her. The word FATALITY was shown on the screen, mocking her. She sighed and set her controller down. This couldn’t wait until Monday—she really needed to speak to her teacher about this. She picked up her cellphone and scrolled through her contacts, searching for her teacher’s name. Then she hit the call button and waited until the other person picked up.

“Nanami! Calling on the weekend, are we? Is everything alright?” Yukizome-san’s voice sounded from the cellphone.

“I’m alright,” Chiaki crossed her legs, idly fiddling with the controller cord. “I’m sorry to call you like this on the weekend.”

“Don’t worry about it. What’s up?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about Hinata-kun…”

“That friend of yours from the reserve course? Is he okay?”

“He’s okay now, but…” she took a deep breath. “Yesterday he got beat up by a security guard.”

“I’m sorry, did you say he got beat up by a security guard?” her voice sounded surprised.

“That’s right. Hinata-kun was just trying to eat lunch with us when the guard stopped him and wouldn’t let him through. Then they got into a fight and Hinata-kun was… he was really upset.”

“Would you happen to know the security guard’s name?”

“I don’t know his name, but my friend said it was the head of security who did it.” There was silence on the other end. Chiaki stopped fiddling with the controller cord. “Yukizome-san?”

“…Thanks for letting me know about this, Nanami,” Yukizome-san’s tone suddenly sounded serious. “I’m sorry to hear that happened to your friend. I’ll make absolute sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Thank you, Yukizome-san. I’m sorry to bother you with this, I just don’t want to see my friend hurt again.”

“Oh hush, you know you are never a bother to me, Nanami. Now have a good weekend.”

“Yeah, you too. Goodbye.” Chiaki hung up, feeling a little better now. She took out Mortal Kombat from her gaming console and inserted a more casual game to play.

* * *

Izuru returned to the underground tunnels that night, handing his completed exam sheets over to his teachers. Right after he’d done that, the teachers handed him five thick literature books and ordered him to translate each of them into a different foreign language. They claimed to be ensuring that his linguistic skills are still up to date with modern languages, though it was becoming glaringly obvious that they only wished to waste his free time with mind-numbingly boring tasks.

Nevertheless, Izuru took the literature books and brought them to his room. He set the stacked books onto his desk, opened one of them, and proceeded to translate it from Japanese to English onto an identical book. It didn’t matter which foreign languages he chose, so he would decide upon the most popular languages.

As he translated each word onto paper, his mind wandered elsewhere until a new thought came to him. _What is Hajime doing right now?_ It was currently 1:21 AM, so he was most-likely already asleep in his room. He could visualize it perfectly in his head: Hajime would be laying down on a white mattress, beneath a thin blanket, head against one of two pillows, in a dark, unlit room. His chest would rise and fall with his steady breathing, a sign that he was still alive.

But there was also a probability that he would be staying up late because it was the weekend. He would be sitting on his bed leisurely browsing his phone or his laptop. Then he would get up out of bed, perhaps to use the restroom or grab a bottle of water from his pantry. Then, not looking where he was going, he would trip over his laptop cord and fall over and his head would hit the corner of his desk and split open and—

Izuru’s pen froze over top of his paper. How strange. Thoughts don’t normally distract him from doing his tasks. The hypothetical scenario he’d conjured in his head did seem to take an unexpected turn, but usually, it wasn’t enough to divert his attention. He disregarded the uneasy feeling in his stomach and continued translating in French now.

By the time he was finished translating all five books, it was 3:00 AM. If he slept now, he would still be able to receive three hours of sleep. He didn’t require as much rest as an average person did, so he should be able to rejuvenate well enough with three hours of rest. He turned off his desk light, laying flat on his bed and closing his eyes, preparing to shut down. It was normally a quick and simple process, having knowledge of techniques to quickly fall asleep. However, his mind strangely began to wander again.

He pictured Hajime sleeping soundly in his bed a second time. It was ridiculous to think he’d be in any danger at this time. No, he was very much safe and alone in his room.

...Though there was a probability he wouldn’t be alone. As he laid there asleep, the doorknob to his room would turn. A dark figure would enter the room with soft, quiet footsteps. The figure would hover over Hajime’s sleeping form. Then slowly, the figure would pull out a dagger and bring it down on him in rapid sucession, stabbing him again and again _and again and again—_

His eyes snapped open, breaking the vivid imagery. A heavy feeling churned in the pit of his stomach.

Izuru did not get any rest that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Finally getting some Nagito and Chiaki POV  
> \- Next Update: 1/23/20


	14. Overdrive

Hajime woke up to the sound of ringing. When he first heard it, he tried to ignore it. _Probably just some random person calling the wrong number,_ his muddled mind supplied. It wasn’t until his phone rang a third time that he realized whoever was calling was determined to not let him fall back asleep. With a groan, he blindly reached out for his phone on the nightstand. Who the heck could be calling him this early on a Monday morning, anyway?

He picked up the phone and answered it. “Hello? Who’s this?”

 _“Izuru.”_ The monotone voice of his twin was heard from the other end of the call. Hajime rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes and sat up in bed.

“Oh, hey Izuru,” he yawned. “I wasn’t expecting you to call this early. Did you need something?”

_“Yes.”_

“What is it?”

_“…Good morning.”_

“Oh, uh, good morning…” Hajime sat there, waiting for the other boy to continue. There was an awkward silence. “…Is that it?”

_“…Yes.”_

“Okay…”

_“…”_

“…See you at lunch?”

_“…Yes.”_

“…Alright, see ya’.”

 _“Goodbye.”_ Izuru hung up. Hajime blinked, eyeing his cellphone in puzzlement. _Well that was strange…_

* * *

_[Monday, 9:09 AM]_

Izuru ran the treadmill in the private gymnastics room as his teachers watched him. The goal was to evaluate how many kilometers he could run within one hour. It had been a fairly long time since he was given fitness tests – he’d long since broken world records in regard to speed, strength, and agility. Fastest runner, swimmer, biker – he’d succeeded in every one of them and outranked all the previous rankings.

Of course, these were all just tests to evaluate his true potential, and all his achievements have been kept disclosed within the walls of Hope’s Peak. As far as the rest of the world knows, the records have remained unbeaten.

His feet moved swiftly, carrying him with enough speed to rival that of a cheetah’s. All the while, his teachers observed him with critical gazes, recording information on their clipboards as they always did. After the running, he was instructed to swim for an hour. He lowered himself into the private pool and did as instructed, swimming across to one side of the pool and back in a repetitive motion for exactly one hour.

Cool water rushed past him with each stroke, soaking into his hair. All the while, his mind was counting down the seconds, waiting for this pointless activity to be over. Though if they were planning to go all out with this fitness test, then that meant there were still other objectives that would need to be completed before the test was over.

At this rate, he might be late for lunch with Hajime. He had called the twin hours ago at 7:00 AM, near the time the sun was rising. He wasn’t entirely certain what compelled him to contact the twin so early in the morning, but hearing the twin’s voice at least verified that he was safe and unharmed. Afterwards, Izuru hung up and proceeded to go through his morning routine shortly before he was assigned to perform this current fitness test.

He hadn’t contacted Hajime since earlier today. He was fine this morning. However, there was always a possibility that something has happened to him since then. Many future outcomes that may have occurred since Hajime’s awakening, outcomes that were unlikely enough that Izuru would normally disregard them.

But no matter how small, how unlikely, even the most improbable occurrences were still probabilities. Without Izuru there to protect his twin against those dangerous possibilities, the likelihood of him experiencing death or injury only increases.

Izuru willed himself to move faster.

* * *

_[Monday, 12:13 PM]_

Izuru approached the fountain area only a few minutes behind schedule. He’d managed to take a quick shower after the fitness test and didn’t bother stopping by the cafeteria for lunch. Each second that passed was another second of Hajime not being within his sights and therefore being in potential danger. As he neared the fountain, he spotted Hajime sitting by Nanami on the bench with the lucky student there as well.

Nothing appeared to be out of place; they were eating their lunches and conversating, as usual. Though there appeared to be some tension between Hajime and the lucky student, that wasn’t something Izuru was concerned about. What was more important was that Hajime was still safe. A sort of relief flooded his system, calming his nerves and slowing his movement. He reached the trio and took his seat on the bench. Hajime looked over at Izuru.

“Did you just work out?” Hajime questioned. “You look a little weary. And where’s your lunch?”

“The cafeteria was crowded, so I chose not to go there today.” A small, believable lie as technically the cafeteria would be more crowded since Izuru arrived late. Furthermore, a lie would prevent Hajime from questioning his reasons and thus avoiding a more problematic scenario.

“Oh, okay...” The brunet looked at him from the side of his eye. “…You’re _sure_ you’re okay though?”

“Yes. I have no reason not to be.” Izuru looked back at him. The twin nodded, seeming to accept that answer, then continued eating. Izuru watched as the other boy took a bite of his meat-filled dumpling, chewing nonchalantly. There was a possibility that the food would become lodged in his throat, blocking his airways, and leading him to choke to death.

A ridiculous thought—even if he were to choke, Izuru knew how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver and would easily be able to dislodge the solid from his throat.

He would be fine.

* * *

_[Tuesday, 8:25 AM]_

The spotlight shone down on him as Izuru sat in a lone chair, facing his teachers. With a violin in his hand, he performed _The 24 Caprices_ before his teachers, a piece written by famous Italian composer Niccolò Paganini. It was one of the most difficult violin pieces to master. Izuru performed it flawlessly, moving the bow over top of the strings with perfect timing and precision.

Notes glided in the air as he played the instrument. He had every note to this song stored within his memory, so now it was only a matter of applying that knowledge to his hands and producing music. While the main part of his mind focused on executing his performance, another part of it wandered off back to his twin.

 _[C, G, D, A, E, B, F_ _♯_ _, C_ _♯_ _, D_ _♭_ _, A_ _♭_ _, E_ _♭_ _, B_ _♭_ _, F]_

Hajime should be sitting in class right now, somewhere within the Reserve Course building. The reserve building was located near the Main Course building. Izuru held knowledge on everyone within the Main Course classes, but he had little knowledge on the Reserve Course students. As far as Izuru knew, there weren’t any students in the reserve classes with whom his twin held many problems.

But his knowledge was limited – there _could_ be people in Hajime’s class who were potentially dangerous and Izuru would have no way of knowing. Perhaps he should infiltrate the school’s database and study the twin’s classmates as well, to ensure none of them posed a threat.

 _[C, a, F, d, G, e, B_ _♭_ _, g, D, b, E_ _♭_ _, c, A, f_ _♯_ _, A_ _♭_ _, f, E, c_ _♯_ _, D_ _♭_ _, b_ _♭_ _, B, g_ _♯_ _, F_ _♯_ _, e_ _♭_ _]_

If not his classmates, then Enoshima could be there, or her sister. They could be making a move to attack Hajime while he wasn’t near, sneaking into the reserve building and luring the twin out. Izuru was at least eighty percent sure his threat against Enoshima would keep her away from Hajime, but with her impulsive nature and addiction to despair, there was still a possibility she would attack Hajime anyway. It was unlikely…

 _[C, a, G, e, D, b, A, f_ _♯_ _, E, c_ _♯_ _, B, g_ _♯_ _, F_ _♯_ _, e_ _♭_ _, D_ _♭_ _, b_ _♭_ _, A_ _♭_ _, f, E_ _♭_ _, c, B_ _♭_ _, g, F, d.]_

But still a possibility.

* * *

_[Tuesday, 12:06 PM]_

Izuru’s eyes focused on the 8-bit spaceships on the Nantendo screen. He’d played this game with Nanami nearly every weekday during the lunch period. Occasionally, she would switch the game and they would try something new, but for the most part, Gala Omega seemed to the game she favored the most.

True to her title, Nanami was a skilled opponent. So far, Izuru had beaten her in every round, but Nanami had put up quite a fair fight, coming close to victory several times. Today, however, Nanami seemed to be doing exceptionally well against him. For some reason, Izuru was finding it more difficult than usual to keep up with her. His reaction time was just slightly more delayed, slightly less sharp than usual, resulting in him barely fending off the spaceships on his screen in time.

How peculiar – his reaction time was not as quick as usual. Although it was still enough to defeat Nanami, it was off enough for him to notice. After he’d barely won, Izuru lowered the device. Hajime was seated by Nanami on her other side, watching them play. The lucky student had yet to show up.

“Ah, I almost won that round, Kamukura-kun!” Nanami turned to look at Izuru with curious pink eyes. “Are you concentrating enough? It seems you’re a bit slower than usual.”

“I’m fine.” Izuru disregarded.

“Hmm, if you say so.” Nanami’s face lit up as if she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way, Mioda-san’s been asking about you, Hinata-kun.”

“She has?” Hajime looked up after suddenly being pulled into the conversation.

“Mhm. Nevermind-san has too. They really like having you around class. I also told them about Kamukura-kun being your twin.” The lilac-haired girl tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun, how do you both feel about joining my class?”

Izuru considered this. If he and Hajime were to join her class, he would be able to keep an eye on Hajime during school hours, eliminating any potential threats around him and thus making sure he’s safe during the day. This idea would be best for them, Izuru decided.

“Joining your class?” Hajime fidgeted. “Well, even if I wanted to, I don’t have an Ultimate talent…”

“Maybe Yukizome-san could make an exception for you,” she insisted. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, plus she already knows about you.”

“I doubt it would work…” The brunet looked away from them, hiding his melancholic expression. He didn’t have confidence that the school would allow someone like him with low status to enter the main course.

Izuru was sure he could find a way to work around that, to have him submitted into Class 77 even if meant forging signatures and creating false documents. If not, Izuru could always try joining his reserve course class instead. Either way, he would be closer to Hajime and would be able to watch him, so the class itself did not matter to him.

“Well, it’s just a thought,” Nanami fiddled with her hoodie string. “But I think… it would be really nice to have you and Kamukura-kun in the class.”

Hajime looked as if he was considering this. It was then that they heard another person coming towards the fountain. Izuru noticed Hajime look up and tense at the sight of them, averting his attention to anywhere else but the person before them.

“Good afternoon, Nanami-san, Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun.” The lucky student smiled and approached, sitting down on the ground beside the bench with his lunch tray in hand, then fell into a conversation with Nanami.

Moments later, Izuru noticed a buzzing sound from his right side, steadily drawing nearer. His eyes flickered to the right. He spotted a small insect – more specifically, a honeybee – coming towards their way. His eyes followed the tiny, winged insect as if flew closer towards his face, hovering around him.

Approximately five percent of the human population experience severe allergic reactions to insect stings. Most people who have insect-related allergies do not realize they are allergic until they have been stung. With this in mind, there was a possibility that Hajime was one of those people who were not aware they had this allergy. If that were the case, a bee sting could be potentially fatal for him.

The bee flew above Nanami’s head, circling it before hovering towards Hajime’s face. Izuru pictured the insect puncturing the twin’s face with its stinger. Hajime’s throat would swell, and the twin would struggle to breathe as he fell into anaphylactic shock, clawing at his throat in desperation. As Izuru watched the insect hover inches in front of Hajime’s unnoticing face, he quickly shot his hands out and crushed the tiny threat between his palms.

Hajime jumped in his seat, blinking in puzzlement before olive eyes looked at Izuru. He opened his hands, revealing the now dead insect.

“…There was a bee.” Izuru clarified.

“Ah, very perceptive, Kamukura-kun!” The lucky student praised from his seat nearby.

“Yeah…” Hajime gave Izuru a questionable look. Izuru disregarded his confusion and flicked the bee corpse from his palm.

* * *

_[Wednesday, 7:33 AM]_

The sound of the blade swinging through the air filled the room. Sword in hand, Izuru sliced through each robotic training dummy as they came towards him. The robots were designed in a way that made them mobile, moving targets wielding swords of their own. The objective was for Izuru to defeat them all, to test his combat and swordsman skills. His teachers observed him through a one-way glass window outside the training room.

Izuru focused on each moving target, annihilating them one by one. He moved swiftly, dodging and countering attacks effortlessly. His senses were on high alert, though his reaction time was, noticeably, still not as sharp as it was normally—in fact, it was even more delayed than it was the previous day. He suspects the lack of sleep was beginning to affect his abilities. Either way, his teachers were bound to notice this, which may not bode well for him—he hasn’t underperformed in any of his assignments in a long time.

He wielded his sword as another wooden dummy approached him. The dummies were faceless, moving mechanically. As he held the sword, facing the machine, an image formed in his mind. The expressionless robot before him was now replaced with a man in a blue uniform, green hair, and pink eyes. He recognized the image as the security guard, the one who had encountered Hajime not so long ago. The one who, if not stopped by the lucky student, could have greatly injured his twin.

Izuru’s grip on the sword tightened, and in one precise motion, he sliced through the dummy’s torso. One threat eliminated.

Behind him, another dummy approached. He turned around to face it—this time, an image of the soldier appeared, firm purple eyes upon a hardened expression. The soldier was trained to fight and kill, to eliminate enemies without hesitation. This same soldier was also a tool for her sister, subservient, willing to do anything for her sister, which included eliminating someone like his twin. She was strong, but Izuru was stronger.

Izuru plunged his sword straight through its chest. Another threat eliminated.

Something was itching beneath Izuru’s skin. His eyes landed on another dummy. An image of Enoshima appeared. Her mocking grin, cruel blue eyes—even her maniacal laughter seemed to echo in Izuru’s ears. This woman was powerful, analytical, calculating—she was the biggest threat. Someone like Hajime would never be able to stand a chance against her. She would _crush_ him, spiritually or physically, and there were so many different ways to do it, so many different possibilities.

His eyes flashed, and in one quick motion, he sliced its head off. Eliminated.

He would eliminate anything or anyone if he had to, just as easily as he’d crushed that bee between his hands.

“Your test is comp—“ Izuru whirled around, preparing to eliminate another threat, only to stop the blade inches away from the teacher’s neck. The teacher stood frozen, staring at him with eyes wide in shock. He dropped his clipboard, the sound echoing throughout the room. Izuru slowly retracted his arm, lowering the sword.

The teacher nervously cleared his throat. “Th…The test is complete. Y-you are dismissed.”

Izuru silently walked past the teacher and exited the training room, returning the sword to its place beside the other training weapons. He didn’t look at his teachers who were no doubt watching him. He could hear them whispering behind him.

“…Did you see that? The subject nearly chopped his head off...”

“…Maybe we should slow down with the extra assignments. They seem to be taking a toll…“

“…The Steering Committee gave us direct orders…”

“…will proceed as planned...”

Izuru ignored them, returning to his room. Though he remained composed, his heart was racing in his chest. He’d nearly decapitated his teacher amidst his frenzied thoughts. That had never happened before. Was there something wrong with him…?

No. It was a small error. He merely became too focused on his task. There was no use pondering on it.

* * *

_[Wednesday, 12:14 PM]_

Izuru walked beside Hajime, Nanami, and the lucky student across the campus grounds. Nanami suggested they wander today, perhaps get a chance to meet some of her classmates. She was trying to encourage him and Hajime to join her class, it seemed. He was already approving of the idea.

Ahead of them, a small figure was approaching. He analyzed the person.

_Name: Hanamura Teruteru_

_Title: Ultimate Cook_

_Sex: Male_

_DOB: 09/02_

_Height: 133 cm (4'3")_

_Weight: 69 kg (152 lbs)_

“What’s cooking, good lookings?~” The cook smiled slyly, holding a plate of food in his hands. He eyed Izuru and Hajime. “Say, Nanami-san, who are your two friends here? I don’t believe we’ve properly met.”

“I’m Hinata Hajime, and this is my twin brother, Kamukura Izuru.” Hajime introduced.

“Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun, hm? It’s lovely to meet you both. I’m Hanamura Teruteru, the Ultimate Cook. Though I’d much prefer to be called the Ultimate Chef~”

“Hanamura-kun always makes the most delicious meals.” The lucky student smiled.

“I sure do. Would you like to try some?” The cook offered his plate to Hajime.

“Sure, why not?” Hajime smiled and reached out towards the plate. Izuru shot his hand out and smacked the plate up into the air. “W-whoa, hey!” The brunet startled.

“Gah—!” The cook exclaimed. “H-hey, whaddya go and do that for?”

“What’s gotten into you?” Hajime looked at him incredulously.

“The food could have been poisoned.” Izuru fixed the cook with an intense stare of warning. The cook trembled and paled beneath his gaze.

“P-poisoned? Now why would I go and poison my own food?” The cook looked confused.

“Izuru, you’re being completely paranoid…” Hajime’s eyes were heavily focused on him. “Is everything okay? I’ve never seen you act like this before…”

Izuru blinked, looking down at his hand. Was he being paranoid? It felt logical at first, but now that was reassessing it, perhaps his reaction had been irrational…

“R-right, well uh… nice meeting you two!” The cook scampered off towards the building. A tense silence fell over them.

“…We should head back to the fountain.” Nanami suggested, breaking through the silence. Izuru wordlessly walked with them, not daring to look at the worried expression on his twin’s face.

* * *

_[Thursday, 2:00 AM]_

Izuru stared up at the ceiling of his room. His eyes were burning. He suspects the drastic reduction in sleep has officially taken an effect on him. The easy solution would simply be to fall asleep. However, his mind refused as his thoughts seemed to continuously torment him.

These past few months have filled his life with something new, something interesting. He’s done things he’s never done before. He’s _felt_ things he’s never felt before. All of this because of the presence of Hinata Hajime.

He could lose this at any moment. Knowing that made his insides twist and coil, a dull ache throbbing in his chest. He’s thought about this every night for several days, and every night he became tormented with these indescribable feelings.

This constant feeling…

This was _torture_.

To care for another being was torture. Yet even knowing that, he still preferred this than going back to before — back to solitude and numbness. Back to hours upon hours of doing nothing but pointless tasks, to wandering around aimlessly with nothing but his thoughts and his never-ending boredom. He could better tolerate the boredom that cursed him whenever he was in the presence of Hajime, but he could hardly _bear_ it when it was only him.

He didn’t want to go back.

But there were so many dangers surrounding the twin — even with Izuru’s capabilities, was it possible to protect him from every danger that lurks around the corner? Realistically, no. Unless he could chain himself to the other boy _[not entirely impossible, though it would be inconvenient – perhaps worth consideration]_ then it just wasn’t within his power to protect Hajime at all times.

Be that as it may, he must try. He's the only one with the capabilities to ensure his safety in this dangerous world. No matter what, he had to keep Hajime safe.

He had to.

* * *

_[Thursday, 12:22 PM]_

Izuru followed Hajime, Nanami, and the lucky student to room Class 77. Nanami thought it was time they try to meet her class, so she requested her classmates all gather in the room during lunch. Izuru found it hard to focus as they headed towards the class. There was a fog in his mind, a heaviness in his limbs, but he disregarded all of this. He needed to remain vigilant, and so he was, constantly looking for immediate threats surrounding Hajime.

They reached the classroom and entered. The room was filled with all the students of Class 77, chatting amongst themselves in separate groups. Some of them seemed eager to see Hajime, greeting him as he entered the classroom. Hajime shyly greeted them in return, seeming surprised by the attention.

Izuru decided to remain by the doorway, leaning against the wall as he kept watch of Hajime. Some of the students appeared as if they wanted to approach Izuru, but they must’ve sensed his disinclination to speak with them because they hesitated.

As he watched Hajime speak with some of the students, he noticed someone else approaching him.

He saw her.

A blonde pigtail was sticking out just within his view as the rest of the person stood in front of Hajime, obscured from his vision.

It was Enoshima.

Izuru raced across the room, immediately stepping between him and Enoshima. He grabbed her wrist in a tight hold, something dangerous emitting from him.

“H-hey! What the heck are you doing?” The girl protested. Izuru blinked at the unfamiliar sounding voice. This wasn’t Enoshima, this was…

_Name: Saionji Hiyoko_

_Title: Ultimate Traditional Dancer_

_Sex: Female_

_DOB: 03/09_

_Height: 168 cm (5'5")_

_Weight: 47 kg (103 lbs)_

She hardly looked anything like Enoshima; her hair was an entirely different shade of blonde, and she only wore one pigtail rather than two. Her eyes were orange, not blue, and she wore a kimono rather than Enoshima's fashionistic outfit.

The dancer was looking up at Izuru with fear and confusion in her eyes. “A-are you some kind of weirdo or something? Let go of me!”

Izuru released the dancer’s wrist. She snatched her arm away, rubbing her wrist, and quickly retreated to her friend. Izuru realized that the whole class was looking at him. He could hear hushed whispering around him, could feel the wariness in the air. Hajime grabbed Izuru’s wrist and dragged him out of the classroom. Once out of the room, he pulled him down the hall until they were a good distance away from the room. Then he whirled around and faced Izuru.

“Okay Izuru, what the hell is your problem?” Hajime’s tone was bordering on furious, glaring at him. “You’ve been acting strange ever since Monday. Why in the world did you do that?”

Izuru’s gaze lowered to the floor, finding it difficult to meet the twin’s eyes.

“I… thought she was a threat.” Izuru admitted.

“Wha—? A threat? That doesn’t make any sense, she was only trying to talk to me. You did the same thing with Hanamura the other day when he was offering me food. It’s like any time someone approaches me, you assume they’re gonna—” Hajime stopped, eyes widening. “Wait a minute… is this about what happened last Friday?”

“I am only trying to protect you.” Izuru responded. The twin did not seem happy with that response, brows creasing further.

“Izuru, I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to protect me.” Hajime affirmed. Izuru looked away, ignoring him. The twin grew more frustrated. “Are you listening to me? I’m not a damn kid!”

Izuru frowned. Why must he make this so difficult? Can’t the twin see that he was only trying to keep him safe? Is that not what brothers are meant to do? Frustration began to crawl beneath Izuru’s skin.

“I fail to see the issue,” Izuru argued. “Does my protection not benefit you? Does my regard for your safety displease you?”

“You’re talking as if I’m in danger.” Hajime countered.

 _You are_ , is what Izuru wants to say, but the words do not fall from his lips. He cannot tell Hajime about Enoshima—he would not understand. He would only grow more worried and confused. Hajime was searching Izuru’s expression until eventually, his eyes lowered to the ground. The twin's demeanor changed, lips pulled tight, fists clenching, and body shaking. It appeared he was struggling to voice his next words, until,

“…Because I don’t have a talent, I’m helpless, is that what you’re thinking?” Hajime reopened his eyes, pain, and frustration evident in his eyes. “You think I can’t take care of myself, because I’m not strong, or smart, or skilled enough? I’m—I’m just a _burden_ to you, right? I’m only holding you back—”

“No.” Izuru firmly interrupted.

“Then _why_?” There was desperation in the twin’s voice, in his eyes.

 _I don’t want to lose you,_ are the words that don’t escape him, stuck in his throat and locked into his chest. Izuru turned away. His eyes burned. The aching in his chest seemed to increase. Everything felt so _heavy,_ as if he would sink into the ground at any moment, swallowed up by fear and exhaustion. He was beginning to realize just how impossible this was. He couldn’t protect Hajime—he was going to make a mistake, just as he’s done now.

He let his thoughts and predictions on _what-ifs_ cloud his judgement, and because of that, he’s acted out enough for the twin to notice and become displeased by his actions. Hajime may very well push him away because of this, and without him around, the twin would only be in more danger.

He’s going to fail. And Hajime was going to…

“Izuru?” Hajime huffed and grabbed his shoulder, turning him back around. “For god’s sake, will you just—“

Hajime stopped, his eyes widened an inch. Silence fell into the air for a moment before his expression softened, hardly a trace of anger left. Izuru was confused. What did he see?

“…Come to my room tonight.” Hajime’s voice was calm. Izuru blinked but didn’t refuse.

* * *

_[Thursday, 7:21 PM]_

When evening arrived, Izuru made his way towards Hajime’s dorm. He knocked on the door as customary before entering the room upon Hajime’s approval. Once inside, he went straight towards the desk and sat down, picking up where he left off with his new set of exams. He was working on Optimization Theory when he heard his twin’s footsteps approach and stop behind him.

“Izuru, when was the last time you slept?” Hajime asked.

“Thirty-six hours ago,” Izuru filled in another answer. “I’ve managed three hours per night every two days. It is the most efficient way for me to rest while still maintaining the bare minimum of my cognitive functioning–“

“Alright, that’s it.” Hajime’s hand slammed down on the exam papers and snatched them away. Izuru blinked and looked up, watching as the twin threw the papers into the trash bin. Then he returned to him with a stern look, reaching out and grabbing his arm with a tug. Izuru stood up, allowing the brunet to pull him towards the bed. Hajime released his arm and gently pushed him back. Izuru plopped down onto the bed.

“Go to sleep.” Hajime threw the blanket over him. Izuru watched the blanket fall slowly on top of himself, covering his face and obscuring his vision. He laid motionless for a moment before pulling the blanket down far enough to free his face. His eyes followed Hajime as the twin turned off the desk light and sat down beside him on the other side of the bed. The two of them looked at each other silently.

“I’m not going to sleep until you go to sleep.” Hajime declared. Izuru was unsure how to respond to that. The twin seemed undeterred, pulling out his laptop and proceeding to do what Izuru presumed was his schoolwork. The screen of the laptop illuminated the dark room, the sound of typing filling the silence. Izuru continued to watch, observing him as he worked. He was procrastinating, Izuru noticed, with several tabs open that did not involve the expository essay he was supposedly working on. Hajime briefly glanced at Izuru then casually continued to type.

“You’re not bothered by my staring.” Izuru pointed out. It wasn’t a question but rather a statement. When Izuru first began spending time with Hajime, he was often discomforted whenever Izuru would observe him like this. Now, however, didn’t appear to be the case. Hajime looked at Izuru again, blue light reflecting off his face.

“I guess not,” Hajime shrugged. “I mean, I definitely was at first. But then I realized, it’s just a thing you do.” The twin then returned to typing. It was strangely calming, watching the brunet perform this simple task as he laid against the mattress. He didn’t know why, but his constantly active mind felt as if it were becoming lighter, clearer. The fog that had clouded his mind for a week now seemed to be dispersing. No, it wasn’t just calm he felt. He felt something else, something more difficult to describe.

He felt… Safe. Content. Home.

…What a strange choice of words, but they were the only ones he could think of. Either way, he decided he was okay with this feeling. With his mind slowing down, he continued to watch Hajime until his eyelids grew too heavy. He drifted off to the sound of typing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I'm not fully satisfied with how this one came out but uuugh my brain hurts! I’m sorry if this chapter is a bit sloppy, it became longer than I anticipated and I didn’t have as much time to edit it as I’d hope for (which is no else’s fault but mine). Anyway, Izuru chapter! Mostly, except for the first part.  
> \- This fic was actually inspired by a work written by another author. The whole idea of Izuru discovering emotions because of someone was given to me after reading another story with that concept. The fic in question has been orphaned, but I still treasure it.  
> \- Next Update: 1/30/21


	15. Level Up

_Missing._

_He opened his eyes and saw that something was missing. There was an empty space beside him where his _r_ _ _ _ _ should be. He sat up in his b_ _, looking around. His _r_ _ _ _ _ was nowhere in sight._

_“_z_ - _ _ _ _?” He called out. No response. Maybe his _r_ _ _ _ _ already woke up and was _r_ _h_ng his _ee_ _. He pushed the rest of the _la_ _ _t off his body and scooted towards the edge of the b_ _, hopping off. Two small feet plopped down onto the floor and carried him out of the _ _ _r_ _ _. He walked towards the _a_ _r_ _ _ only to see that the door was open and the r_ _m was empty. His _r_ _ _ _ _ must’ve already _r_ _ _ed his _ee_ _ then and was waiting for him at the d_ _ _ng ta_ _ _ with m_ _ and d_ _._

_He walked to the _i_ _ _ _ r_ _ _, expecting to see his m_ _ preparing the _ab_ _ and the smell of _ _e_ _ _ _ _t in the air. But there was no _ _e_ _ _ _ _t, or m_ _, or d_ _, or _r_ _ _ _ _. The _i_ _ _ _ r_ _ _ was empty._

_Where did _z_ - _ _ _ _ go?_

_He carried his little feet through the hallway, passing by the _ _ _ _ng r_ _m. He turned his head and looked into the r_ _m to see his m_ _ and d_ _ were there. But something was wrong. His m_ _ was quietly sitting on the _ _ _ _h, hands folded in her lap. S_ _ looked _ _d. His d_ _ was standing in the living room with his arms crossed, staring out the window. H_ looked _ _d too, but like h_ was trying to hide it as h_ gazed out the window. What was d_ _ looking at?_

_He continued down the hallway and saw the fr_ _ _ _ _o_ was open. Sunlight spilled in through the en_ _ _ _ _ _, touching his little toes. Through the _ _o_, he saw th _ _ _ b _ _ _ _ _ _r_ parked on the street in front of the _ _ _s_. The _ _r_ were starting to leave._

_Where were the _ _r_ going? He was so confused. His h_ _ _ _ was telling him to stop the _ _r_._

_He walked towards the front door—_

Hajime woke up with a startle, blinking up at the white ceiling above him.

_That dream again…_

It was hard for him to make sense of it—each time that dream occurred, he felt so close to grasping onto it, like a hand reaching out for a source of light in the fog. But as soon as he woke up, the light disappeared back into the fog, and he was left with only blurred, hazy fragments of the dream.

He looked over to his left side to see his twin still laying there, back facing him. He was almost completely still, his breathing barely audible. The only indication that he was alive was the subtle rising and falling of his body beneath the blanket. It was a strong contrast to Souda with his tossing, turning, and snoring. He couldn’t tell if the other twin was awake or not, though he could only hope that he hadn’t accidentally woke him up with his nightmare.

Hajime quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake up the twin (assuming he wasn’t awake already), and went through his morning routine. Not too long after, he stepped out of the bathroom. He looked over at his bed to see Izuru sitting up, undoubtedly awake now.

Even as he woke from sleep, his face remained relatively expressionless. Though Hajime was starting to notice little telltale signs from his brother, small hints and indications that would reveal his mood, like how his sharp eyes would soften just slightly when he was more at ease and less analytical, as they were now.

He recalled the state Izuru was in yesterday; he remembered seeing that look on his face, how his eyes had been ringed with red with just barely visible bags underneath. He had looked so _tired_ and stressed out. Hajime had never seen him look that way before, and any frustration he may have had quickly vanished from his mind.

“You know, it’s total bs that you can wake up with your hair still looking that good.” Hajime grabbed the hairbrush from his drawer and tossed it to his twin.

Izuru caught the brush. “Your hair isn’t exceptionally tangled upon awakening either.” he said as he proceeded to tame his own hair.

“It is. It’s just easier for me to brush out.”

“While mine is more difficult to maintain. You are envious, however, you fail to consider the tediousness that comes with maintaining appearances.”

“H-hey, I’m not envious,” Hajime huffed. “Is this how you accept compliments?”

“If that’s what you’d consider a compliment, you aren’t exceptionally great at giving them.”

Hajime chuckled and shook his head. It’s safe to say the twin was feeling better if he was able to banter with him like this. Their discussion was interrupted as suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Izuru stopped brushing, eyes darting towards the door with acute awareness, and just like that his expression became just as serious as before. Hajime wasn’t sure who was at the door. He approached the door and opened it.

Standing in his doorway was a rather strange, unexpected display—Komaeda stood directly in front of him with red, talon scratches on his face, pigeon feathers in his hair, and a slightly disheveled uniform.

“Hinata-kun? What a pleasant surprise! I didn’t realize this was your dorm room!” Komaeda smiled as if this scenario was completely normal.

“Komaeda? What are you doing here?” Hajime questioned the odd boy.

“Haha, well, it’s kind of a funny story...” Komaeda then went on to explain a series of luck-based circumstances that led him here. It involved being chased down into the building by a swarm of pigeons, then as he was running from the birds, he slipped on someone’s skateboard, which brought him down a hall, which led him into a laundry cart in which he fell into, which brought him down another hall, which dropped him off in front of this specific dorm room. Then out of curiosity, he knocked on the door.

“…and lucky me, it seems the door I knocked on belongs to Hinata-kun! It was certainly unlucky being attacked by a swarm of pigeons, but because of that bad luck, I was led to Hinata-kun in his dorm! How lucky!”

“That’s… quite the story.” Hajime didn’t want to believe that ludicrous story, but knowing what little he knew about Komaeda, it was probably true. He was still on the fence about Komaeda; he hadn’t forgotten about the incident last week and the things the white-haired boy had said to him. Just thinking about it had Hajime feeling irked all over again.

The other boy seemed to notice his annoyance and for a moment, Hajime thought he saw the smile on his face droop just slightly, but it was quickly fixed.

“I’m terribly sorry for intruding. I’ll leave you alone now.” Komaeda turned and started to walk away.

“Wait,” Hajime called out. Komaeda stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder confusedly. “It’s fine. You’re already here, so… would you like to tag along with me and Izuru for breakfast?”

“Breakfast with you and Kamukura-kun? Hmm, while I am truly honored that you’d invite someone like me along, I don’t know if that would be the best idea. Spending lunch with you both is already a privilege, but breakfast as well might be too much.”

“It’s really no big deal,” Hajime shrugged. “Besides, it’s just for today.”

Komaeda’s eyes seemed to dart around in confliction. “I know, but trash like me really doesn’t deserve to—“

Hajime walked up to him and reached out, brushing the pigeon feathers out of his hair. It was sort of an impulse decision, but the feathers were a little distracting, so he figured there was no harm in clearing them out. When he was finished, he pulled his hand away to see Komaeda staring at him wordlessly, face painted in surprise.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Izuru standing behind him, watching the scene as if he were spectating something slightly interesting. Hajime blushed and cleared his throat, feeling as if there were a spotlight shining down on him for some reason.

“If you’re coming, then hurry up.” Hajime prompted before setting off down the hall. Izuru followed behind him, and after a short hesitation, Komaeda did as well.

* * *

The breakfast line was long as it typically was in the mornings. Hajime was the first to receive his tray, waiting near the exit for Izuru and Komaeda to return. While he waited, he observed the other people in the cafeteria. The room was full of students from both the Main Course and the Reserve Course—it was one of the only times the Ultimate students and reserve students were mixed together like this.

As he observed the room, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure standing against the opposite wall from him. Across the room stood the head of security, leaned up against the wall. His arms were crossed, pink eyes scanning the students in the cafeteria. Eventually, his eyes landed on Hajime. They made eye contact.

Hajime tensed, feeling a wave of anxiety surge through him. He could practically feel the guard evil eyeing him from across the room. The discomfort almost made Hajime want to avert his gaze and coward away, but he forced himself not to. Then suddenly, the man looked past Hajime at something behind him. The guard’s face paled, morphing from hostility to nervousness, or something akin to fear. Hajime felt confused by this but didn’t have much time to question it as he watched the guard turn his head away and leave the cafeteria. Whatever he saw must of really freaked him out…

Hajime glanced over his shoulder to see Izuru standing behind him, breakfast tray in hand.

“Oh, hey,” he quickly forgot about the security guard. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Not long,” Izuru tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Shall we go eat?”

“As soon as Komaeda gets here.” It wasn’t long before Komeada showed up with his tray. Once the three of them had their trays, they made their way towards the exit of the cafeteria. They didn’t get far before someone else came into the cafeteria, stepping right in front of them.

“Oh, what do we have here? It’s one of my students!” A bright voice said. The trio stopped in their tracks, looking over to see a woman with an orange ponytail, bright green eyes, and an apron over top of her clothing. The woman was smiling, seeming to recognize Komaeda. “Good morning, Komaeda!”

“Good morning Yukizome-san!” Komaeda greeted.

“Staying out of trouble, I hope?”

“Haha, of course.” Neither of them mentioned the talon scratches that were still visible on Komaeda’s face, though Hajime was willing to bet the teacher was already used to the lucky boy’s shenanigans.

The woman’s eyes shifted over to Hajime and Izuru. “Wait now, who do we have here?” She came closer, inspecting the two of them. When her eyes landed back on Hajime, her face lit up in recognition. “Ah, I remember now! You’re Hinata Hajime, Nanami’s friend!”

“That’s right.” Hajime smiled.

“Nanami’s always talking about you. Oh, and is this your brother?” Her eyes shifted over to Izuru.

Hajime nodded. “He’s my twin, Kamukura Izuru.”

“Kamukura Izuru…? That’s the name of the founder…” Yukizome leaned in closer to Izuru, inspecting him. Izuru stared back at her neutrally. “Huh, you aren’t wearing a main course uniform, but something tells me you aren’t from the reserve course either…”

“I am an unofficial student.” Izuru answered in a monotone voice.

“Unofficial student…? Hmm…” Hajime watched the scene, noticing how the teacher’s eyes seemed to be searching Izuru’s suspiciously. Izuru’s face remained expressionless, giving away nothing as he stood before the teacher’s sharp gaze. If Hajime didn’t know any better, he’d say it almost felt like a silent interrogation was happening between the two. Then, after what felt like forever of silence, the teacher’s face lit up again.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Kamukura!” Yukizome beamed. “Nanami has spoken very highly about the both of you, in fact, a few of my other students have been talking about you two as well. I’ve also heard you two have been sneaking into my classroom during lunch hours.”

Hajime felt heat rising to his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “A-ah, sorry—we didn’t mean to sneak in, we just—”

Yukizome laughed. “I’m just teasing you! I don’t mind you dropping by, really.” She gave one last smile to the three of them. “Well, I better going. You three stay out of trouble, now!”

The teacher left the cafeteria in a hurry. Hajime looked at Izuru.

“Was it just me, or did she seem really curious about you?” Hajime asked him.

Izuru shrugged. “She is suspicious of my involvement with this school’s project.”

“What project?” Hajime questioned. Izuru gave him a look. “Wait… are you saying _you’re_ the project? I mean, I knew you were involved in some secretive stuff, but…” For a brief second, Hajime thought about the scars he had seen on Izuru’s head, and how Izuru had expressed that he’s always lived at this school, and a bunch of other little things that seemed odd about Izuru’s involvement with this school. But he still didn’t know what all of this truly meant, not really.

All Hajime knew was that Izuru was some sort of super-talented child prodigy who was picked up and raised by Hope's Peak and just happened to live here. Other than that, he was just like any other student.

...Right?

Komaeda was silent, also seeming as if he were trying to piece together the puzzle that was Izuru and Hope’s Peak Academy.

“It is not worth explaining at this time,” Izuru disregarded. “We should continue our destination before our food gets cold.”

Hajime nodded, deciding to forget about it, for now.

* * *

Chiaki had been looking forward to having Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun meet her classmates. She had been so excited when she brought them to her classroom yesterday, hoping that by bringing Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun to her class, all of her friends would finally get to meet each other, and everyone would have a good time.

But instead, it went… poorly.

She wasn’t sure exactly what had gone wrong, but one moment, Hinata-kun was having a conversation with some of the girls who wanted to meet him, and the next moment, Kamukura-kun was gripping Saoinji-san’s wrist while the whole class was staring at him in shock. She remembered after Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun had abruptly left, the whispering started happening all around the classroom.

Chiaki had felt so confused and upset by Kamukura-kun’s behavior, but she took a moment to calm down and breathe. Kamukura-kun was a level-headed person; he wouldn’t just do something like that for no reason. She texted Hinata-kun afterwards asking about Kamukura-kun and if he was okay. Hinata-kun explained what happened, expressing that Kamukura-kun was really stressed, mistaking Saoinji-san for someone else, and that it was all a big misunderstanding.

Chiaki found herself unable to stay upset about it after that. The next day, Chiaki was eating lunch again with Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun, and Komaeda-kun.

“You should probably get those scratches looked at…” Hinata-kun spoke to Komaeda-kun. Chiaki was happy to see them speaking to each other again, though there still appeared to be some tension between them.

“That won’t be necessary,” Komaeda-kun replied. “I’m sure they’ll go away on their own. Though I’m flattered Hinata-kun is concerned over someone like me.”

“No, I seriously think you should go see the medic.” The brunet sighed. “Look, I’ll go with you, okay?”

“…Well, if Hinata-kun insists.”

Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun both stood up. “We’ll be back shortly.”

“Oh, alright then…” Chiaki watched as Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun both left off, leaving her and Kamukura-kun alone on the fountain bench. She looked to her right and noticed Kamukura-kun was staring at Hinata-kun as he walked further and further away. He stared in Hinata-kun’s direction for a rather long time, as if he were afraid to have him leave his sights.

Now that she thought about it, Kamukura-kun has been acting more and more odd ever since the day Hinata-kun came to the fountain with Komaeda-kun looking beat up. That was the day he had gotten into a fight with that security guard. Ever since then, Kamukura-kun has been acting strangely, with him playing worse in videogames, his behavior towards her classmates, and how clingy he seemed to be with Hinata-kun lately. Maybe she should ask him about it.

“Kamukura-kun?” she called out. He turned his head, red eyes shifting over to meet hers. “Are you okay?”

“…” Kamukura-kun’s only response was silence. She fidgeted in her seat.

“It’s just that, well… you’ve seemed a bit off since last Friday when Hinata-kun fought with that security guard. Is that what’s bothering you?” He turned his head again, looking away as if he weren’t sure how to answer that. That confirmed her suspicions, but just to be sure, she asked him. “Kamukura-kun… are you worried about Hajime?”

Silence. For a moment, she thinks he isn’t going to respond. Maybe it was a bad idea to bring this up, she thinks. She was just about to apologize when he finally spoke.

“…Yes,” he confessed. “I think… I am worried.” She was surprised to hear him say that, but also relieved now that he told her what he was feeling.

“I see,” she smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay to be worried.”

“Worry is irrational,” his brows were slightly knitted in what seemed to be frustration. “It does not benefit me at all. Instead, it causes me to behave in ways I normally wouldn’t.”

“Well, you’re right. Worry is irrational, but for rational reasons… I think. I was worried about Hinata-kun too when he showed up like that. It’s what happens when you care about other people.”

“How do I stop it?”

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. That was a tough one. “That’s a hard one, Kamukura-kun. It can be difficult to just stop worrying… But I think it helps to think positively, to have faith that everything will be okay.”

“Like hope.”

“Yeah, like hope.” she smiled. Izuru looked at her for a moment before gazing down at the ground.

“I can see so many possibilities of him getting hurt...” His eyes seemed to glaze over at that. Chiaki was silent for a moment, considering. Then, she reached out and gently placed a hand onto his shoulder. His eyes flickered up to meet hers.

“There’s no way to know for sure what will happen in the future,” she said. "But we can still do our best to make sure good things happen. Hinata-kun has friends like us around that can help him. But more importantly, we must trust that Hinata-kun can take care of himself.”

“Trust…” Kamukura-kun repeated that word as if it were foreign to him.

“Mhm, trust. Oh, and also, I told my teacher Yukizome-san about what happened with that security guard, and she said she'd make absolute sure that it doesn't happen again."

“…I see.” Kamukura-kun looked at her with thoughtful eyes, considering her words. Talking about it seemed to have helped him, as he appeared a little more relaxed now after that. She smiled and pulled her hand away, glad that he was feeling a bit better, and returned to eating her lunch.

“Hajime has surprised me.” he suddenly said.

“Hm?” She looked over at him.

“You told me he would surprise me, some time ago. You were correct. Not only that…” he leaned in closer, inches away from her face. This close, Nanami couldn’t help but notice how pretty his eyes were. They were deep red and striking, reminding her of rubies or freshly bloomed roses. She felt her heart pumping faster in her chest.

“You have surprised me as well.” he stated like it was a fact.

“I-I have?” she stammered.

“Yes. You seem to have an effect on me that I am unable to decipher. I am curious about you, Nanami Chiaki.”

 _Curious about me…?_ Chiaki felt heat rise to her cheeks.

“O-oh, okay.” She wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but for some reason, it made her feel warm inside, and maybe a little nervous, but in a good way, she thinks. Kamukura-kun pulled away, and both of them went back to eating their lunch in comfortable silence.

* * *

Nagito sat on the bed in the medical room, idly poking at the scratches on his face. He wasn’t too fond of medical rooms, but the school nurse was kind, almost as kind as the nurse in his classroom. After him and Hinata-kun entered the nurse’s office, she did a quick examination of the bird scratches on his face, applied some antibiotic ointment, then left the room saying she would return momentarily, leaving him alone with Hinata-kun.

Now here they were, with Nagito sitting on the edge of the medical bed. Hinata-kun was standing, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

“…Did you really mean what you said?” Hinata-kun suddenly broke the silence. Nagito looked up to see the brunet was looking at him with a stern gaze. “That day with the security guard, I mean. Do you actually… agree with him? Do you think untalented people are worthless?”

Nagito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I wouldn’t say they’re completely worthless, but they certainly don’t hold as much merit as an Ultimate. I believe the best a talentless person has to offer is to support those greater than them.”

Hinata-kun seemed to get tenser with each word, though Nagito didn’t understand why. “What about me, then? What makes me so special compared to the other reserve students?”

“You are the exception,” Nagito answered easily. “You have a powerful bond, one that carries you above the rest.”

“I don’t understand. Are you saying that, what—I’m only worthwhile because I’m related to someone who’s talented?”

“Well, no, not exactly…” Nagito fidgeted in his seat, sensing the brunet’s increasing aggravation. “Hinata-kun, I feel like this discussion is beginning to bother you. There’s no need to continue this conversation if it’s upsetting you.”

“I’m not upset because of this conversation. I’m upset because I don’t understand you, and I can’t tell if you’re just trying to mess with me or what!”

“Hinata-kun…”

“…Just forget it.”

Nagito was at a loss of words. The room fell silent. Hinata-kun was looking away from him now with a heavy frown on his face. He felt like he should apologize. But apologize for what? He couldn’t really apologize if he didn’t know what he was apologizing for.

Nagito stared down at his lap, trying to think of another way to fix this.

“…Would’ve you did have a talent?” Nagito suggested tentatively.

“What?” Hinata-kun’s eyes flickered towards him.

“I mean, have you ever thought about what talent you would have, if you did have one?”

Hinata-kun stared at him suspiciously for a moment before removing his gaze. “…Yeah, I’ve thought about it once or twice.”

“I think maybe you would be… Ultimate Serenity.” Nagito always thought Hinata-kun’s presence was, for the most part, calming.

Hinata-kun raised a brow. “Which part of me did you look at to come up with a title like that...?”

“I'm pretty sure the ability to bring serenity to others just by being there is really amazing. Let's see... what about Ultimate Clumsy Student?”

The brunet scoffed. “I’m not that clumsy.”

“It is my understanding that you _bumped_ into your brother when you first met him, if I recall you telling me,” he raised a finger. “and you fell into the Ultimate Neurologist the day before summer vacation,” he raised another finger. “and you somehow managed to fall into a confrontation with the head of security guards whilst sneaking into the main course campus." He raised a third finger.

“…Okay, so maybe I’m a _little_ bit clumsy, but still.”

“What about Ultimate Scatterbrain?”

“W-what are you trying to say?” A tint of red appeared on Hinata-kun’s cheeks.

“Haha, don’t take it so seriously, I’m only joking! Hmm, then… Ultimate Spiky Hair?”

“That’s not a talent at all!” His cheeks became redder and Nagito noticed the tips of his ears were red now too.

“I know, right? Haha!” Nagito chuckled light-heartedly. He knows he shouldn’t be taking so much delight in this, but teasing Hinata-kun was just so fun. Hinata-kun huffed and smiled slightly. He seemed to be feeling a little better now.

“I don’t understand you, and I can’t say I’m happy about… what you said, but I guess there’s no use in arguing about it any longer, so…” Hinata-kun looked over at him firmly. “Let’s just agree to put this behind us and move forward, deal?”

Nagito nodded quickly. He still wasn’t sure what they were ‘putting behind them’ but if it satisfied Hinata-kun, he would happily oblige.

“Good. Besides, if we’re gonna be friends, then I still want to try to understand you.”

Nagito blinked. _Friends…?_

“Hinata-kun considers me his friend?” He asked confusedly.

“Well, yeah, I mean, we hang out, don’t we? And despite the things you said, you did still help me, so… I’d say we’re friends.”

Nagito isn’t sure how to feel about this. To have Hinata-kun consider him his friend was simply too much. He didn’t deserve this—he wasn’t worthy.

But then… why does he feel so warm inside?

* * *

Izuru returned to the underground tunnels feeling more stable than he had been during this week. His mind was returning to a more logical state, allowing him to reflect on himself.

Upon reflection, Izuru was almost amazed by how irrational he became. He had been unable to sleep and became less focused due to the distress his thoughts had caused him. The feeling of _distress_ itself wasn't something he was used to. The lack of sleep along with the excess work he had been given affected him even greater than he thought it would, causing him to make poor judgement calls and act unnecessarily hostile towards the people interacting with Hajime. 

In conclusion, it had been an unpleasant yet _fascinating_ experiencing _._ Even now, feelings of fear and dread lingered in him, and thoughts of tragedy invaded his mind, but they weren't as intense as they had been previously. He was beginning to recognize how challenging this path he's taken with Hajime would be. 

For once, Kamukura Izuru had a challenge. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little thrilled by that thought.

One thing was for certain: Enoshima was still a threat. He will still protect Hajime, but he mustn't go overboard if he wishes not to have any more 'incidents' like the one in Nanami's classroom. He will have to keep a clear head, which meant ignoring many potential threats towards Hajime. The thought was nerve-wracking, but he will endure it.

He will try to… _trust_ , as Nanami phrased it.

As he headed down the corridor, he was approached by a teacher, the one who was mainly in charge of his schedule.

“Izuru, where were you last night?” The teacher frowned. “Why didn’t you return to your designated room? There is a curfew in place, and you are not allowed to violate it.”

“I did not violate curfew,” Izuru corrected. “I spent the night in someone else’s dorm.”

“And that _someone_ is your reserve course brother, I assume?”

“Yes.”

The teacher huffed. “This is becoming a serious issue. We allowed you to wander because we thought you were responsible enough, but you cannot keep disappearing so often.”

Izuru ignored her as he stepped into his room. Immediately, he realized something was off. The top of his desk was bare, empty. His plushie was missing.

“If you keep being distracted by these trivial matters then—“

“Where is the plushy?” Izuru interrupted.

“Where is _what_?” The teacher looked baffled.

“There was a plush toy in the shape of a cat sitting atop of my desk. Where is it?”

“Oh, that thing? We had no idea what that was doing in your room, so we threw it out.”

He was heavily annoyed by that. Not only had they been snooping through his room, but they were touching his belongings.

Izuru walked past his teacher and made his way to the staff room. The teacher blinked and scrambled to follow behind him. He stepped inside the staff room and located the nearest trash can.

“What are you—?”

He reached down and dug through the trash can, startling the teacher into silence. After pushing aside the junk, he found the plushie, pulling it out. It was slightly dirty and a bit torn, but still in relatively good shape. Izuru brought it back to his room.

“Izuru, where are you going? I’m talking to you—“

He shut the door in her face, ignoring her protests. Now alone and undisturbed, he pulled a needle and thread out from his dresser and sat down at his desk. With careful precision, he sewed the plushie back together, restoring it. He considered installing a lock onto his door to prevent his teachers from meddling with his belongings. As he sewed, he heard two teachers talking outside of his door.

“The extra assignments aren’t doing anything to stop him from seeing that reserve course student…” The female huffed.

“You’re right, at this point we’re just wasting time and resources. Cancel the extra assignments.” A male teacher replied.

Of course it wouldn’t work. His teachers were incompetent for thinking it would. Izuru added the finishing touches to the plushie then set it back atop of his desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Izuru was totally giving Juzo the death look in the cafeteria in case you're wondering  
> \- Next Update: 2/6/21


	16. Animation

If Izuru was going to prepare himself against whatever Enoshima had planned, he must first figure out what he’s up against. When the school year first began, he had studied each profile of every Ultimate student admitted to Hope’s Peak. Just recently he discovered that Enoshima Junko had been admitted into the school through recommendations, and not only that, but he also discovered that she held a connection with the Ultimate Neurologist. If Enoshima was associated with the Ultimate Neurologist from Class 77-A, that meant the neurologist may have valuable information on Enoshima that could benefit Izuru.

With that in mind, Izuru made his way to the Ultimate Neurologist’s lab located somewhere within the Main Course building. It was unwise to simply waltz into the neurologist’s lab, which is why Izuru already had a story fabricated in case the neurologist became suspicious of him. He’d tell the neurologist that he’d been sent by his teachers for a physic evaluation, thus preventing him from discovering his true motive.

He arrived at the Ultimate Neurologist’s lab and stood before the closed door before reaching out and knocking three consecutive times. Shuffling came from the other side followed by footsteps nearing the door. When the door swung open, the neurologist, Matsuda Yasuke, was revealed. He stood in the doorway, his hair messy and unkept while sporting a less formal attire.

“Look Enoshima, I told you I’m not—“ Blue eyes met Izuru’s before the neurologist froze at the sight of him. His last encounter with the neurologist had been during the hallway incident shortly before summer vacation. If he recalled correctly, Izuru had struck the other boy as he was arguing with his twin. It was clear from the way the neurologist’s body tensed and the tightness in his expression that he had not forgotten about the incident either. Matsuda quickly recovered, attempting to hide his discomfort beneath a stoic expression. “Oh… it’s you. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was sent here for a physic evaluation.” Izuru lied easily, voice and expression betraying nothing.

“They sent you directly to me for a psychic evaluation?” Matsuda raised a brow. “What the hell for?”

“My teachers wish for an assessment. They are concerned for my mental health due to my… _erratic_ behavior as of lately.” Izuru twirled a strand of hair around his finger in disinterest, a trick to make his lie seem more honest by appearing nonchalant. Matsuda opened his mouth as he was about to respond when he was interrupted by another voice coming from within the room.

“Is that Kamukura-kun?” A familiar voice came from behind the neurologist. Izuru’s eyes shifted to an area behind Matsuda and he quickly spotted the lucky student sitting in a chair within the room. Komaeda smiled at him, waving cheerfully. “Hi, Kamukura-kun!”

Matsuda sighed in exasperation, shoulders hunching. “Great, now I have not one, but two weirdos to deal with. Have a seat.” The neurologist stepped aside, allowing Izuru to pass through the door. As he entered the room, he quickly examined his surroundings. The room itself was slightly disorganized, with a stack of manga books in the corner, shelves holding labeled medications on the wall, a few medical beds with monitors and cords hooked to them, and some posters showing x-rays and brain anatomies. Against the wall, there was a row of chairs lined up, and in one of those seats sat the lucky student who was looking at him expectantly. Izuru walked over and sat on the chair beside the lucky student.

“What a surprise to see you here, Kamukura-kun!” Komaeda beamed.

“Likewise.” Izuru hadn’t expected the lucky boy to be here, but it wasn’t too surprising.

“You may be curious as to why I’m here. Well you see, I’m here because—”

“Your Frontotemporal Dementia.” he interrupted. He had deduced the boy had some type of mental illness upon first meeting him. After further speculation, he concluded the white-haired boy was diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

Komaeda’s face seemed to lift in surprise at Izuru’s statement. “Ah, that’s right. I’m surprised you figured it out so easily, not many other people know about it besides Matsuda-kun. I suppose that’s to be expected of the Ultimate Hope!” Komaeda smiled. “Matsuda-kun has been generous enough to run tests on me in hopes of finding a way to reverse the effects. I tried to refuse, insisting he shouldn’t waste his time on someone like me, but the school administrators are adamant about having my illness treated, so here we are.”

The other boy removed his gaze to face the front, his smile remaining. “I don’t expect him to be able to fix my problem, but I do feel grateful. Even though he’s wasting his time on filth like me, at least I can help him utilize and hone his talent to its greatest potential. I may be worthless in all other aspects, but I can still help serve those whose hope shines brighter. For that, I am grateful.”

Izuru watched the other boy carefully, his brain most likely deteriorating as they speak. He could find a cure for that Frontotemporal Dementia, but whether or not the lucky student would accept it was a different matter entirely. Komaeda didn’t seem too worried about his slowly deteriorating brain as he sat calmly in his seat. Then again, with the unfortunateness that came with his luck cycle, the other boy was probably used to being in hopeless situations. 

After a short moment of silence, Komaeda returned his gaze to Izuru. 

“So you said you’re here for a psychic evaluation?” Komaeda asked.

“Indeed.” he replied.

“That’s odd, I don’t see anything wrong with Kamukura-kun’s current mental state. Then again, Kamukura-kun did leave a rather bad impression on Class 77.” Komaeda leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Rumors have been spreading around the school about you. From the hallway incident to this new incident in Class 77’s room, people are becoming very wary of Kamukura-kun, the once legend of the school, now a mysterious, unofficial student with a twin brother from the Reserve Course.”

That may not bode well for him, Izuru realized. He’d been aware before of the rumors spread around him—the supposedly mythical person wandering around the school grounds. He hadn’t cared about any of it before, but now that Hajime was involved and Enoshima was plotting against him, it would probably do him well to not give himself a bad reputation, else the student body may start protesting against him. That must be the reason why the lucky student told him this, to warn him about that very thing happening should Izuru's reputation start to deteriorate. 

“But I’m assuming there’s a reason why you were being so protective that day,” Komaeda continued, sage eyes shifting over to meet Izuru’s. “You’re usually very calm and composed, so to see you act out like that must mean that you had a good reason for it. You probably know something that the rest of us are oblivious to, something that was enough to make you lose your composure. Or maybe not something… maybe someone.”

Komaeda rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Izuru stared at the lucky student for a moment, considering.

“...Komaeda,” Izuru called out. Komaeda snapped out of his thoughts, surprised by Izuru calling him by his name, and looked over to meet his gaze. “Exchange phone numbers with me.”

His face lit up. “Oh, that’s a good idea! I already gave Hinata-kun my phone number, but it would be good to have yours too.”

Izuru took out his cellphone and handed it over to Komaeda. The white-haired boy tapped the screen for a short moment then handed the phone back to Izuru. “Just text me and I’ll have your phone number as well.”

He nodded. Shortly after, Matsuda reappeared from the backroom with a clipboard in hand. “Alright, let’s get this over with, Komaeda.”

Komaeda stood up and left with the neurologist through another door in the back of the room. Once they were gone, Izuru stood from his seat and promptly searched around the room for clues and information regarding Enoshima Junko. He didn’t find much, but he did find a photo of the neurologist standing in a picture with a girl. The girl had red hair and red eyes, and upon further speculation, he realized that girl was Enoshima. This confirmed that they must have known each other for a while.

Izuru returned the photo to its exact place, not leaving any evidence of his investigation behind.

* * *

His name was Mitarai Ryota, the Ultimate Animator. Or at least, that was the name of the person he was pretending to be at the moment—the person beneath that disguise didn’t have a real name. The only title that he was able to attach to his identity was the Ultimate Imposter. But for now, he was Ryota, and so he would refer to himself as such. He was just on his way to bring his friend, the real Mitarai Ryota, a tray of lunch during the lunch period.

As he was walking past the gate, he felt a sudden chill crawl up his back as if someone were standing behind him. Ryota stopped in his tracks and with hesitance, slowly turned around.

A boy was standing there, wearing a black suit with red eyes and long black hair—no wait, Ryota has seen this person somewhere before. It was that quiet guy who stood in Nanami’s class that one day. He hadn’t done anything, just stood there against the wall, watching the other classmates while his supposed brother interacted with the other students. Then out of nowhere, he grabbed Saoinji’s wrist in a grip so tight and a look so intense, you’d think he was about to break the poor girl’s arm.

Ryota didn’t know how to feel about that other than worry and fear. Now that boy was standing in front of him, staring at him with a blank expression. He quivered a bit beneath his gaze, hoping that whatever the other boy wanted, there was no ill intent behind it.

“Um… h-hello?” he stammered. That person—Kamukura, was it?—blinked at him.

“What is your name?” Kamukura(?) asked him in a monotone voice.

“W-who, me? I’m Mitarai Ryota, the Ultimate Animator.”

“No you’re not.”

“H-huh?” Ryota was taken aback _._ Could he really have seen through his disguise so easily? “What do you mean? Of course I am!”

Kamukura gave him a deadpan look as if to tell him that he was fooling neither of them with that statement. “Who are you really?”

“I’m…” He sighed. There was no point in keeping up the act. “If I tell you who I really am, can you promise not to tell anyone else?”

“I have no interest in revealing your true identity.”

“Okay… the truth is, I’m not Mitarai Ryota.”

“Obviously.”

“Mitarai is actually my friend, but he doesn’t like coming out to classes, so I’ve borrowed his identity and went to classes for him. I’m actually the Ultimate Imposter.”

Kamukura hummed as if one of his theories had been proven correct. “Is anyone else aware of this?”

“You and Mitarai are the only ones who know about this…” Imposter nervously tugged at his sleeves. Now that the truth was out in the open, perhaps it was time to get his off his chest. “The truth is, I’m worried about him. He stays in his room all day working on this project of his. He’s completely _obsessed_ with it—he says it’s going to change the world. Because of that, I’ve had to bring him food every day and make sure he’s taking care of himself, or else he’ll work himself to death.”

“I see,” Kamukura’s face appeared thoughtful. “This animation… do you know of its contents?”

“I don’t know the details of it—he hasn’t shown it to me.”

“And is there anyone else who knows about this project of his?”

“Not that I’m aware of…”

“Hmm…” Kamukura looked up. “Thank you for informing me. I suggest keeping a close watch on your friend.”

Before Imposter could question that statement, Kamukura walked past him and disappeared.

* * *

Hajime looked down at his cellphone as he made his way through the hallway of the Main Course building. He’d just visited Souda during lunch and left him at the classroom door. As he headed back to his class, he realized he might be a little late, but at that point he didn’t really care. It’s not like his teachers were missing him anyway, and he was more focused on the group chat discussion that Komaeda had just been added to.

_Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura, Komaeda_

_12:32 PM_

_[12:32 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _I added Komaeda-kun to the group chat_

_[12:32 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _Wow! My first group chat! I’m so lucky to be involved in such a private discussion between three close friends. This is truly a memorable moment, I feel so honored!_

_[12:32 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _it’s really not that big of a deal Komaeda_

 **_Hinata:_ ** _anyway, aren’t u and Nanami in the same class right now? R u texting right beside each other?_

_[12:32 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _Komaeda-kun isn’t in the classroom right now. Yukizome-san sent him to bring back some paperwork from the headmaster’s office_

_[12:33 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _That’s right! I’m on my way back to class right nowwwwwww_

 **_Komaeda:_ ** _wkifnfnsksk ajdjjjjjj_

_[12:33 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _r u ok Komaeda-kun?_

_[12:33 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _Of course! No worries!_

_[12:33 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _He fell._

_[12:33 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _Huh? What do you mean, Kamukura-kun?_

_[12:33 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _he totally just fell_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _Ah, it would seem I have been caught... I did fall and drop all the paperwork I was carrying, and now it all flew out of a window._

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _that’s not good…_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _It certainly isn’t. But it’s alright, I’m sure my luck will turn soon! Though Yukizome-san will not be happy with me, haha!_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _if it was an accident then I’m sure she won’t be upset. don’t be so hard on urself_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _Nanami-san, you are too kind. Truly you are a symbol of hope._

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _oh boy, I can hear the hope speech happening thru the phone_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _There is a 90% probability that is indeed the case._

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _I can’t hide anything from you two. If only there was a way to express my anguish_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _u can always use emoticons_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _What’s an emoticon?_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Hinata:_ ** _my god he’s worse than Izuru_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _it’s like this :)_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _Oh I see! Like this? :)_

_[12:34 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _there u go_

_[12:35 PM]_

**_Komaeda:_ ** _:) :) :)_

_[12:35 PM]_

**_Nanami:_ ** _ok that’s enough_

Hajime chuckled to himself as he read the conversation. He was typing out another response when he rounded a corner at the end of the hallway and, not looking where he was going, crashed into something solid. He stumbled backward, barely managing to catch himself as he regained composure. The sound of metal cans clattering against the ground is what made him look down and notice six blue energy drinks rolling around him, having just been dropped onto the floor.

“Ah, sorry! Here, let me get that for you—” Embarrassed, Hajime crouched down and quickly began to pick up the cans without meeting the eyes of the person before him. _I’ve bumped into more people at this school than I have in my entire life. Maybe I am the Ultimate Clumsy Student…_

“…It’s fine.” The person whom Hajime realized was a girl replied in a serious tone, crouching down in front of him to pick up the cans as well. Hajime looked up and paused when he saw who the person was. Her hair was short and black, with pale skin and freckles painted across her nose.

He recognized her—it was the soldier, the same one who he caught evil eyeing him at the Sports Festival, and the same one who had been there during the hallway incident.

The girl’s face was impassive as she collected the other three cans from the ground. Her purple eyes flickered upwards, meeting his gaze with something sharp and intense. He stiffened, discomforted. Something about her was off, making him feel extremely uneasy. The look she was giving him made him feel as if he’d somehow offended her with his very existence. Hajime kept her gaze as he stood back up, trying to convince himself that there was no logical reason for him to feel nervous.

“Uh… here.” Hajime held the remaining drinks to her. The girl stood up and wordlessly took the drinks, then with one last glance, she continued towards her direction down the hallway. Hajime watched her disappear down the corridor. All the while, he couldn’t help but think that he was missing something…

* * *

For as long as she could remember, Mukuro has loved her younger twin sister unconditionally. Junko was amazing—clever, smart, pretty, and everything Mukuro wasn’t. She was the sun, bright and blazing as she burned everything around her. As incredible as Junko was, there was one thing she craved more than anything, and that was her despair. Junko lived and breathed despair, pursuing it as if her very life depended on it—it was the only thing that seemed to matter to her.

No one understands Junko like Mukuro does. All Mukuro wants is for her sister to be happy and for her to realize how much Mukuro cared about her. So whenever her sister asked her to do something for her, she did it without hesitation. If her sister told her to walk, she would. If her sister told her to kill someone, she would. If her sister told her to jump off a bridge into a large body of water, she would (which she has done before so she'd probably survive). Every bit of attention her sister rewarded her with made it all worth it, whether that be a pat on the head or a kick to the face. 

Mukuro lived for her sister. 

But then Kamukura Izuru and Hinata Hajime came along. Ever since those two brothers appeared, that’s all Junko ever talks about. She wants to drag the Ultimate Hope into despair and insists that her plans to wreck the world with despair can’t be done unless Kamukura is on board with it. Mukuro doesn’t think that’s true; someone as incredible as Junko is surely capable of dragging the world down with or without the help of some lab experiment.

Mukuro doesn’t understand it. What has Kamukura done to deserve so much attention from Junko? All he does is hang around his talentless twin brother.

Hinata Hajime... Mukuro had bumped into him earlier in the hallway. There was nothing special about him and yet he seemed to be at the very center of all of this. Junko had talked about how the two brothers held a close bond with one another, and how they would need Hinata in order to manipulate Kamukura. 

Mukuro had watched them, had seen the way Hinata and Kamukura spoke to each other, how they interacted as if they were walking on the same plane. Kamukura was obviously superior to Hinata, and yet he doesn’t order him around, or uses him, or expresses how worthless his brother is compared to him. Hinata was obviously beneath Kamukura, and yet he doesn’t serve him, or obey him, or submit to him the way a loyal person should. It baffled Mukuro the way those two act towards one another. It just didn't make sense to her at all.

It doesn't matter—Junko may say Kamukura and Hinata’s bond was strong, but Mukuro’s bond with her sister was stronger. Hinata’s relationship with his brother was nothing compared to the love and devotion Mukuro held for her sister, and she would prove it to Junko as many times as needed. 

Mukuro stepped into the Ultimate Animator’s room carrying the cans of Blue Bull in her arms.

“Ugh, about time you showed up! You’re such a slowpoke, you know that?” Junko criticized. Her sister stood by a desk at the back of the dimly lit room where someone else was seated. Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, sat at the desk in front of her, staring straight at the monitor before him as he worked on his animation. Mukuro doesn’t know all of the details of Junko’s plan—she’d never really been that good at plotting and scheming—all she knew is that it had something to do with that animator they’ve been visiting often and the animation he’s working on.

“Sorry, sis’.” Mukuro approached her sister, still holding the energy drinks in her arms. Junko took a Blue Bull from her and held it out to the animator. After a few seconds, Mitarai paused what he was doing, finally seeming to notice Mukuro’s return and the Blue Bull being held out to him.

“Oh, thanks!” He smiled and accepted the drink from Junko. The boy was as frail as a toothpick, having barely been eating or drinking since he started working on this project.

“So like, how much longer until that animation’s done?” Junko tapped her nails against the desk impatiently.

Mitarai took a large sip of the Blue Bull before setting it down and directing his attention back to the screen. “Well, it's nearly complete, but I still need to tweak some things before it’s fully finished. It might take another few weeks, maybe a month at most?” The boy’s face looked determined as he drew away. “When I’m finished with this, the world’s going to be a much better place. No one will ever have to feel hopeless again…”

“Totally! That’s the spirit!” Junko patted Mitarai’s head almost affectionately. Mukuro ignored the burning she felt rising in her at the sight of that. “The whole world’s gonna be so hopeful once they see your anime, they’ll wanna kill themselves! Now you just keep working on that project you sweet little angel~”

“Uuh, right…” Mitarai replied confusedly. Junko turned and walked back over to Mukuro.

“I can’t wait until that dweeb is finished,” Junko whispered to her. “He’s so focused on making a 'hope-inspiring anime' he doesn’t even realize how that his little project is going to be used for despair instead! He’ll be so devastated!” Her sister giggled feverishly before pausing with an analytical gaze. “Though at this rate, we may need to speed things up. If we wait too long, Kamukura might start catching onto us, and if he finds out, he’ll try to stop us before we can use the brainwashing video.”

“You really think it’s going to work?” Mukuro asked.

“Of course it will! Question is, who are we gonna use it on first,” Junko gave a wide grin. “Just kidding! I already know who we’re going to use it on.”

“Who, sis’?”

“You don’t worry about that. Besides, I have a job for you to do.”

“Do you want me to grab more energy drinks?”

“No, stupid! I’m talking about a _bigger_ job. I’ll tell you it after the animation is done. And when I do, you better not disappoint me!” Junko poked her chest for emphasis. Mukuro blushed, feeling excited at the thought of pleasing her sister. Surely her sister would realize how devoted she was after she completed this next job. 

“I won’t disappoint you, Junko.” Mukuro said determinedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- That's right, it looks like there's gonna be brainwashing involved everybody, oh boooy!  
> \- Matsuda retuuurns momentarily!  
> \- Izuru and Nagito bonding time? Well more like just interacting  
> \- The Izuru and Imposter scene was inspired by another fic, “Manufactured Talent” by Xrangel. I suggest checking it out if you like Kamunami, it's a good story imo! (maybe I should just shout out the few fics that inspired this one in the first chapter or something)  
> \- Next Update: 2/13/21


	17. Testing Phase Complete

“Alright, students!” Yukizome-san smiled as she addressed her classroom, her entire aura radiating enthusiasm and positivity. “I have an important meeting to attend at this time, so I will be back shortly! I trust that you’ll all be good while I’m gone. Now then, keep up the good work!”

Chiaki and the rest of her classmates watched as Yukizome-san left the classroom. A second later, the room filled with chatter as her classmates talked amongst themselves, separating into their groups. Chiaki stayed in her seat, pulling out her cellphone. Her phone had been vibrating on and off in her pocket all throughout class, the reason being that she and Hinata-kun had been taking turns sending funny pictures and jokes to the group chat.

A lot of the jokes were videogame-related, much to Chiaki’s delight. She struggled to hide her small giggles and laughs at the jokes Hinata-kun sent. What was even funnier than the jokes were Kamukura-kun’s and Komaeda-kun’s confused reactions to them. Kamukura-kun’s responses were comically dry and serious, but you could tell he was trying to participate in the humorous back-and-forth discussion, which Chiaki found surprisingly endearing.

Komaeda-kun’s responses were mostly confused, but he was trying his best to understand the jokes. Occasionally, Komaeda-kun would glance at her from his seat near Chiaki with his cellphone in hand, giving her a loss look as if he were waiting for her to explain the joke. Chiaki would only giggle and continue texting. She did not regret adding Komaeda-kun to their group chat.

Chiaki had just been sending another funny picture, not noticing the person who had been talking to her and waving a hand in front of her face.

“Uuuh, earth to Nanami! Are you listening?” Saionji-san frowned, waving her hand.

“She’s probably spacing out, playing videogames again.” Koizumi-san shrugged, standing beside Saionji-san. “It might be best to leave her be.”

“Huuuh? But that doesn’t look like a videogame.” Mioda-san unexpectedly popped up behind Chiaki, looking over her shoulder at the phone screen. “Wait a minute… No way! Is Chiaki-chan texting a boy?”

Chiaki quickly hid the screen of her phone from their view, pink dusting her cheeks. She had only just realized she was surrounded by four of her classmates: Mioda-san, Saionji-san, Koizumi-san, and Nevermind-san all looking at her expectantly.

“It’s just a group chat, that’s all...” Chiaki insisted, feeling embarrassed by their staring.

“A group chat with boys?” Nevermind-san smiled, playfully teasing her. Then her face lit up as if she just realized something. “Oh, I bet it’s Hinata-san and Kamukura-san!”

“Ugh, _that’s_ who you’re texting?” Saionji-san crossed her arms petulantly. “I don’t get why you hang out with them. I mean, Hinata is alright _I guess_ , but his brother is a total weirdo.”

“Saionji-san, you shouldn’t say such impolite things about Nanami-san’s friends.” Nevermind-san faced the other girl with a disapproving look.

“But it’s true! Didn’t you see the way he grabbed me?” The ponytailed girl huffed. “Face it, he’s a major _creep_.”

“He does seem a bit strange,” Koizumi-san rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Not to mention, he isn’t even an official student. Nobody really seems to know anything about him…”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Saionji-san turned to face Chiaki, pointing a finger at her. “Nanami, you need to ditch those guys before they try and take advantage of you!”

Chiaki tensed, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She didn’t like what they were saying about her friends, but she knew they were only trying to look out for her. Saionji-san especially seemed worried about Chiaki, even though she was trying to hide it. But still, Chiaki knew Kamukura-kun and Hinata-kun weren’t bad—they were just as much of her friends as her classmates were, and she would always defend her friends.

“Guys, please… Kamukura-kun isn't bad at all. Just give him a chance.” Chiaki pleaded. From across the room, she heard a grunt come from one of her other classmates and realized Kuzuruyu-kun had been listening to their conversation as he stood beside Pekoyama-san.

“I don’t know, Nanami. From what I hear, that bastard is bad news. You sure it’s a good idea to be involved with him?” The yakuza had his arms crossed.

“Who’s bad news?” Owari-san looked up from her seat, seeming to notice the growing conversation. “Who’re we talking about? Someone trying to hurt Nanami?”

“They are speaking of the mysterious fiend who visited us not long ago, Kamukura Izuru…” Tanaka-kun spoke from nearby.

“Oooh, you mean that guy with long-ass hair? I remember him. He called me a moron!”

“H-he knocked my food up in the air!” Hanamura-kun jumped in, standing up from his seat. “I was just trying to be nice when I offered my food to his brother, but then he went ahead and ruined my perfectly good dish! I was so humiliated!”

“Um, M-Mitarai-san said he ran into him not too long ago too, r-right Mitarai-san?” Tsumiki-san turned to her other classmate who was both bigger and taller than her in comparison.

Mitarai looked hesitant then shrugged. “I-I guess so, but he didn't seem so bad. Maybe. I don't know…”

Souda-kun let out an exasperated sigh, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. “Will you guys just relax? Hinata is a cool dude, and yeah sure—his brother might be _a little_ creepy—but he’s not _that_ bad.”

“Who asked you, dork face?” Saionji-san hissed.

“H-hey, what did you just call me?!”

While the whole class fell into an argument, Chiaki shrank further into her seat, lowering her phone. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like sending funny pictures anymore…

* * *

Hajime had just left the fountain with Izuru, their lunch session with Nanami and Komaeda having ended. He recalled how earlier this morning, he and Nanami had spent a considerable amount of time sending pictures to the group chat during class. Hajime had nearly gotten in trouble for it, having been caught by his teacher once while texting on his phone, but he’d luckily avoided any heavy consequences other than embarrassment.

He had continued doing that all throughout class—it was fun, a lot more than listening to his teacher’s dull lecture in the cold, suffocating atmosphere that was the Reserve Course classrooms. Nanami had seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit, until all of a sudden she stopped texting back. Hajime figured she probably had to get back to schoolwork. But then she had shown up at the fountain during lunch and seemed _off_ for some reason, which he hadn’t been expecting.

“Hey, is it just me, or did Nanami seem a bit quieter today?” Hajime looked at Izuru who was walking beside him in a matching pace. 

Izuru was facing forward as he replied. “Yes, she did appear to be in what one would call, ‘a bad mood.’ I suspect she was upset about something.”

“Any idea what?” So it wasn’t just Hajime’s imagination—something had been bothering Nanami. She had seemed just fine this morning when they’d been spamming each other with jokes in the group chat. He hoped he hadn’t accidentally sent something that upset her. As if reading his thoughts, Izuru responded again.

“I do not know the exact reason behind her agitation, but the probability of it being a result of your doing is low. If anything, I suspect I may be the cause.”

“Why would you be the cause?”

“I am not completely certain. However, I noticed her avoiding direct eye contact with me during lunch.”

Hajime wasn’t sure what to say to that. Instead, he decided to move onto another subject.

“Have you thought about joining Nanami’s class yet?” Hajime asked. “You probably could if you wanted.”

“That would not be the wisest idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“I believe the students of Class 77 are not too fond of me.”

Hajime winced, recalling the last time they'd visited Nanami’s classroom, the day Izuru had freaked out and grabbed Saionji's wrist. While he somewhat understood why he did what he did, that didn’t mean Nanami's classmates would.

“You got a point… but I’m sure it could be fixed if you tried.” Despite the bad first impression Izuru left, Hajime didn’t want the raven-haired twin to feel discouraged from joining Nanami’s class. He knew that the other boy probably didn’t see much point in joining the Main Course class, but Hajime firmly believed that it would be better for him if he did.

If Izuru were to join Nanami’s class, he would be able to participate in normal classes doing normal amounts of schoolwork without having to follow whatever insane rules given to him in this ‘special program.' Not only that, but he would be surrounded by other students to socialize with, rather than being kept isolated in an unknown part of the school. It would be the first step to separating Izuru from this crappy situation he'd been put in as this school's 'Ultimate Hope' or whatever they wanted to call it.

“Seems rather pointless.” Izuru shrugged in disinterest.

“Wouldn't it be worth a try? No wait, let me guess,” Hajime cleared his throat, then let both his expression and his voice fall flat, mimicking Izuru. “It’s all so boring, and everything is so boooring, and I’m so _dark_ and _broody_.” He placed the back of his hand against his forehead in an overdramatic gesture.

Izuru turned his head towards him, giving him the most deadpanned look in all of history. “Was that supposed to be an impersonation of me?”

“Yes," Hajime smirked. "And I totally nailed it, don't you think? Or would you say it was _boring_?"

Izuru huffed out his nostrils and didn’t reply, seeming slightly annoyed. Hajime took that as a small victory for him. The two of them then heard something vibrate. Hajime looked down at his own pocket—it didn’t come from his phone. Instead, it came from Izuru's. He watched as his twin pulled out his phone and looked down at the screen before typing something.

“Who’s that?” Hajime asked without thought. He hadn’t meant to be nosy, he was just surprised that Izuru was texting someone that didn't involve the group chat. Izuru continued typing something then slid his phone back in his pocket.

“Komaeda.” Izuru answered simply. Hajime was even more surprised by that, wondering what Izuru and Komaeda could possibly be texting about in private. Either way, he didn’t question it. They eventually parted ways and Hajime returned to his class.

* * *

Mukuro stood nearby as she watched her sister hover over Mitarai. The animator was still sitting at his desk, working on the animation that would supposedly brainwash whoever watched it and make them only able to feel hope. Junko wasn’t planning on using it for hope, unbeknownst to the animator, and once the animation was complete, Junko would rearrange its contents so that whoever watched the animation was brainwashed into despair instead.

But Mukuro could tell Junko was getting impatient. As her sister stood behind Mitarai, her red fingernails were tapping the desktop impatiently, eyes narrowed at the screen of the monitor. Mitarai seemed to sense Junko’s irritation, glancing over his shoulder every now and then with an uncertain look.

“Hey, um… you know you don’t have to stay here and watch me do this,” Mitarai paused his drawing, looking at both Mukuro and Junko. “Don’t you two have classes?”

“Who cares about classes?” Junko’s eyes flickered from the monitor screen to Mitarai. “You and I both have the same goal, remember? Don’t you wanna help spread _hope_ to those around you?”

“O-of course I do, and I really appreciate your help and support, but—I think I’ll be okay finishing this on my own…”

Junko stared at him for a long while, her expression cold and calculating. Mitarai fidgeted uncomfortably beneath her gaze, averting his eyes. Mukuro didn’t know what Junko was thinking, but she could tell her sister wasn’t pleased with how slow things were going, and now the animator was trying to back out before her plans even began.

Mukuro lifted her hands and cracked her knuckles, shooting the animator a cold, warning look. No one was going to stop her sister from getting what she wanted, even if it meant using force against the animator, if that’s what it took. For Mukuro, it would be as easy as snapping a toothpick in half.

But suddenly, Junko’s face lit up into a gleeful expression.

“You know what? I just got the best idea!” Junko reached over Mitarai and grabbed a hold of the computer mouse. “How about we test this bad boy out now?”

Mitarai’s eyes widened, swiveling around in his chair. “H-huh? But it’s not finished yet—”

“Yeah yeah, I know that, but you still need to test it, right?”

“Well… I guess so, but—”

“Alrighty then! Mukuro, get your ugly ass over here!”

Mukuro blinked then did as told, walking over to Junko. “Yes sis’?”

Junko turned to look at her, something mischievous in her bright blue eyes. With her hand still on the computer mouse, she clicked the button. Mukuro felt confused for a moment before she noticed the animation playing on the monitor. Her eyes drifted up to look at the monitor, watching pictures and colors move. Mukuro never cared much for drawings, animations, or cartoons, but something about this video playing before her was just so… so…

Mukuro struggled to finish that line of thought as her head started to feel fuzzy. Her eyes remained trapped on the monitor screen, frozen in place. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to look away, and slowly her will to look away from it dissolved along with her focus.

Her mind was static, fuzzy, and distorted.

Then suddenly, it all just stopped.

She blinked, the monitor screen having turned black. Mukuro couldn’t tell how long it had lasted—maybe a second, maybe an hour. She could just barely register the fat tears pouring out of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks as she collapsed onto the ground, shaking. She heard a worried gasp come from Mitarai, but she couldn’t look up as her body weighed her down to the floor. Her head was pounding.

“Yep, it totally worked! But as I expected, it only works for a few measly minutes...” Junko speculated.

“As I said, it’s not finished. After I finalize some parts of it, the effects should be permanent. But um… shouldn’t you be worried about your sister? If the effects had been permanent, your sister would’ve been…”

Mukuro could practically hear Junko rolling her eyes at that. “She’s fine. Mukuro’s a soldier, after all—she’s practically built for this stuff. Besides, I’m sure she just _loves_ being able to help us out, right sis’?”

“Of… of course, Junko.” Mukuro was finally able to lift her head, blushing as she looked over at her sister. Her sister had just praised her, and that made her stomach flutter with joy. She would gladly be used as a guinea pig if it meant pleasing her sister again.

Junko reached over the animator again and began messing around with the computer.

“H-hey! What are you doing?” Mitarai startled in his seat.

“Just rearranging some things here and there, no biggie.” Junko nonchalantly replied.

“R-rearranging some things? What are you talking about? What are you—"

“You don’t worry your pretty little head about that, Mitarai! Trust me, everything I’m doing is to help benefit you, so just sit tight.” Junko turned around and walked towards Mukuro, delivering a swift kick to her side. “Get up, sis’! It’s time for you to do that big _job_ I talked about!”

Mukuro grunted but did as told, standing back up with shaky knees. Her head was still pounding, but she toughed through it. She was a soldier—she could handle anything. Once she was standing, Junko leaned forward to whisper to Mukuro.

“Now all I have to do is switch a few layers and rearrange some contents to make this video more _despair-inducing_ ~ It shouldn’t take me long, and while I’m doing that, I want _you_ to lure in Kamukura.” Junko pointed a finger at Mukuro’s chest. “First we’ll need some bait—someone close to Kamukura who isn’t Hinata. Do you have any idea who I’m getting at?”

Mukuro knew exactly what to do.

* * *

Chiaki was in her dorm room, laying down on her bed as she stared at her phone screen. She had left class early today—not that she meant to be rude or leave her classmates so suddenly, but… she just wasn’t in the mood to stay today. Yukizome-san probably wouldn’t mind anyway—Chiaki rarely left class early or took days off, so one day off shouldn’t be too big of a deal, right?

She tried playing some videogames for a bit to distract herself but found that she couldn’t. Instead, she somehow ended up laying down on her bed, staring at the contact labeled “Kamukura” on her phone. After debating back and forth whether or not to text Kamukura-kun, she sat up and quickly typed on the phone screen before she could change her mind again.

_Kamukura_

_1:45 PM_

_[1:45 PM]_

_**You:**_ _hey Kamukura-kun_

A few seconds later, she received a response.

_[1:45 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Hello Nanami._

_[1:45 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _I left class early today_

_[1:45 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _I see. Is everything alright?_

Chiaki bit her lip, trying to think of a good way to reply. She typed out half of a response before she deleted it again. She repeated that process several more times before letting out a frustrated sigh. Why was this so hard? No, a better question would be: what did she even have to say to Kamukura-kun in the first place?

It was clear to her that the comments her classmates made about Kamukura-kun was bothering her, and she wanted to talk to him about it. But what was she supposed to say? _Hey, my classmates sort of think you’re a huge jerk, but I know that’s not true, so do you maybe wanna go and talk to them so that maybe they’ll start liking you more?_

Chiaki shook her head at how ridiculous she sounded. Was she even in the right place to feel upset about this, when Kamukura-kun was the one being talked about so negatively? She hadn’t even realized three minutes had passed until another message popped up on her screen.

_[1:48 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Nanami?_

[ _1:48 PM]_

 **_You:_ ** _sorry, yeah I’m ok_

 **_You:_ ** _could u come over to my dorm? there’s something I wanna talk to u about_

_[1:48 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Very well. I assume you want me to go there now?_

_[1:48 PM]_

**_You:_ ** _now would be gud, if that’s ok with u_

 **_You:_ ** _my room number is 26_

_[1:48 PM]_

**_Kamukura:_ ** _Understood. I will be there shortly._

Chiaki sighed and lowered her phone. She had no clue what she was going to say to Kamukura-kun, but still, she wanted to try. Maybe she’d have better luck speaking about it with him in person than through texting.

Looking around at the games and controllers scattered around, she realized she should probably straighten her room. She slid out of bed and began picking up things, organizing them. Now that she thought about it, she never invited Kamukura-kun to her dorm room before. The only other person who’d been invited before was Hinata-kun. But now Kamukura-kun would be the one coming to her dorm, instead.

As she was straightening her room, she heard a knock on her door.

 _Oh, that was fast…_ she thought to herself. It had only been a minute since she invited Kamukura-kun over. He must be a very fast walker.

Chiaki walked over and opened the door, cellphone in hand. “Hey Kamuku—”

But it wasn’t Kamukura-kun standing in her doorway. Chiaki barely had time to register a cold, freckled face before a bag was thrown over her head. She gasped in alarm, struggling to get away, but to no avail. Everything was dark, the bag obscuring her vision. She couldn’t understand what was happening, only being able to recognize that someone was attacking her.

Her phone clattered and fell to the floor before the room was left empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Just in case anyone is confused, the ‘Mitarai’ in the beginning is Imposter, not the actual Ryota Mitarai, but Chiaki doesn’t know that (I’m sure you all knew that anyway but I still feel like I needed to say it)  
> \- Next Update: 2/20/21


	18. Two Analysts, One Ryota

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey, small update! It’s been a bit of a rough week since the area I live in got hit with a winter storm which knocked out our power for a few days. Consequently, I had less time to write this chapter and even less time to edit it. If there's grammar issues here or there, I’ll most likely go back and fix them, and don't be surprised if there's some huge edits in some of the writing as I may go back and redo some of the words... and sentences... and paragraphs...
> 
> It's been a stressful week, and this is a bit of a long chapter, and my literary skills do not feel great right now, just a fair warning.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Upon Nanami’s request, Izuru made his way towards the gamer girl’s dorm. He had a few ideas as to what she wanted to discuss with him in private, but nothing concrete. It left him feeling partly curious and, strangely enough, uncertain. He had no rhyme or reason for his uncertainty, his logical brain had convinced him as much.

He arrived at her dorm shortly after his departure. The door was closed, the gamer girl presumably waiting for him on the other side. Izuru reached out to knock, only for his hand to suddenly stop in place, inches away from the door. Something was off. Having enhanced senses as well as an incredibly sharp mind, he noticed when there were irregularities in his environment, and right now, his mind was telling him that everything was too quiet, too still. One might brush that off as paranoia, but Izuru wasn’t foolish enough to ignore his intuition.

Now on full alert, Izuru lowered his hand to the doorknob, turning it slowly, and opened the door.

The room was clean, organized. A plethora of videogame consoles was set up near the TV, with a few plushies and merchandise neatly lined against her desk and bed. The room itself was so very much ‘Nanami’ except, Nanami herself was missing. There didn’t seem to be a single trace of the aforementioned girl in sight—no soft pink eyes, or bright warm smile, and even the beeping sounds of the Nantendo she constantly carried around was no longer present.

Only an empty, Nanami-less room.

Izuru spotted a pink cellphone on the ground, the only thing out of place in the disturbingly untouched room. Nanami’s cellphone.

Alarm bells immediately went off in Izuru’s head. He picked up the cellphone, the screen lit up to reveal the most recent messages she and Izuru had been sending each other. Her last message was sent to Izuru twenty minutes ago, meaning she must have disappeared between that time and now. His eyes flickered downwards when he noticed something else—on the ground near the doorway, there was a singular strand of black hair. The puzzle piece clicked in place.

Izuru ignored the increased pounding in his chest and pulled out his own cellphone, sending a quick text to Komaeda. If his prediction was correct, then Komaeda would be a key component in executing his next plan of action. Once the message was sent, he quickly set out in search of Nanami. He had no clues as to where Nanami had been taken, but there was a good chance that Nanami was still located somewhere on school grounds and an even greater chance that it was somewhere secret.

Through inductive reasoning as well as his luck, Izuru found himself standing in front of a statue resembling the founder of Hope’s Peak, the original Kamukura Izuru. Within this statue, there was a hidden keypad leading to a secret passage beneath it. Izuru had been here many times before and naturally had known for a long time about the secret passage. He approached the statue and activated the keypad before slowly it moved, and the entrance was revealed.

With little time for second-guessing, Izuru stepped past the entrance and traversed through the dark hallway at a brisk pace, the statue slowly closing behind him. There was a chance that he may very well be walking straight into a trap, but there weren’t many other options. The longer Nanami was kept within the mercy of Enoshima, the greater the chances are of something detrimental happening to the gamer.

He could hear the relentless pounding in his chest as he moved through the quiet corridor. This feeling of unease was becoming more familiar to Izuru, even more so as images of Nanami flashed through his mind. The logical part of his mind shoved down the troublesome emotion—now was the time to stay focused.

At the end of the hallway on the left side of the wall was a room with a big red door attached to it. The word _danger_ repeated in his mind, but he ignored it. Pushing the red door open, he entered the room.

The room was lit up by dull light, revealing that of a courtroom, or something resembling it. At the back of the room, he saw a familiar lilac-haired girl tied down to a wooden chair. Nanami squirmed in her seat, a strip of duct tape strapped across her mouth, around her wrists, ankles, and mid-section. She hadn’t noticed Izuru walk into the room yet as she seemed to be struggling to escape her bindings, eyes squeezed shut.

“Nanami,” he called out, approaching her. Nanami’s head shot up, looking over at him with wide, panicked eyes. Recognition passed through her features and for a moment she was calm, until her eyes widened in what appeared to be horror, and she began to shake her head vigorously, shouting something only for her words to be muffled by the duct tape. Izuru stopped in the middle of the courtroom, hesitating as he became confused by this change in behavior. He realized too late that Nanami had been trying to warn him.

The dull light in the room suddenly shut off, replaced by a dim, red light. A dozen monitors slowly lowered down from the ceiling, surrounding Izuru in a circular position. It only took a few seconds for Izuru to understand what was happening and, acting quickly, he averted his gaze to the ground a second before the monitors lit up. He could hear a video playing on the monitors, producing a loud, distorted sound. It echoed throughout the room, filling his ears with static and nonsense. He didn’t dare look up at the screens, his eyes closed and facing the floor.

Then he heard what sounded like another monitor turning on and a voice was heard.

“Kamukura senpai~! How do you like my little trap? Isn’t it totally awesome?” Enoshima’s obnoxious voice came blaring through the monitor. He could imagine her smug face and pigtails mocking him through the screen. “It took me some time to set this up, but it was totally worth it for you! If you’re lucky, that means you didn’t look at the monitor screens. But if you did look at the screens, then that means you’re totally brainwashed right now! Sooo are you brainwashed, Kamukura? Are you, are you?”

Izuru knew she wouldn’t be able to hear his reply as the fashionista was presumably speaking through a recorded message.

“Well, I’m just gonna assume you are. If you _are_ brainwashed, then in just a moment, you’ll have no choice but to kill that pretty little gamer girl in front of you. That’s right, you’re gonna kill her with your bare hands like a savage beast! Do it, Kamukura! Kill her!”

Izuru clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes shut while facing the floor. If he had looked away from the monitors just a second later, he would’ve failed. If he hadn’t run into the Ultimate Imposter and found out about the existence of the ‘world-changing animation’ or in other words, the brainwashing video, he would have lost control of himself and would have been forced to kill Nanami.

The thought causes a very unsettling feeling to twist in his stomach.

“Buuut if you _are not_ brainwashed—which would be totally _lame_ —then that means you should still be standing in the middle of the courtroom. You can try moving around if you want, but I gotta warn you, there’s deadly traps everywhere, like, all around you. One wrong step and—BOOM! You’ll be splattered all over the floor! Of course, if you really want to avoid stepping into those traps, all you have to do is open your eyes. Pupupu…”

Enoshima sighed. “And If you choose to do nothing, then you’ll just be stuck there. Meanwhile, I’ll be out here, continuing my plans for world domination. You’re probably the only person who can stop me, Kamukura, but it’s too bad that you’re stuck there. And you know, the brainwashing video isn’t complete, so the effects will only last about five minutes. If you endure it, you’ll be able to escape and come stop me. I mean your friend will be dead within those five minutes, but hey, at least you’ll have escaped! So what’s it gonna be, Kamukura? Allow me to brainwash all of Hope’s Peak, or kill Hinata’s best friend? Aha, how despairing! The anticipation is nearly _unbearable_! Anyways, have fun, Kamukura!”

The recording ended. Izuru stood there, eyes remaining closed as he tried to formulate his next plan. He couldn’t move, else he might step into one of Enoshima’s hidden traps, all of which were potentially deadly. He couldn’t open his eyes without the risk of looking at the brainwashing video, which would force him to eradicate Nanami. With those two options out the window, he was left with little to no room to act, and the longer time went on, the longer Enoshima could be potentially causing disaster that will result in undesirable consequences.

Izuru was trapped.

* * *

Asking his teacher if he could be excused to use the restroom during class usually resulted in a downright _no_ for Hajime and his reserve course classmates, but today his teacher must be feeling generous because he begrudgingly allowed it. Unbeknownst to his teacher, Hajime didn’t actually have to use the restroom, he just wanted to get away from the soul-sucking hellhole that was his classroom. Being in a reserve course class was like being stuck in a prison cell—dull, grey, and lifeless, and there was an understanding between the reserve students that they all collectively agreed with that sentiment.

If Izuru thought _his_ school life was boring and monotonous, he’d outright die from the dullness of spending just a day in Hajime’s class.

Hajime was halfway to the boy’s restroom when he heard a voice cut through the silence of the school halls.

“You don’t deserve it.”

He stopped in his tracks, whipping his head towards the direction of the voice. To his right side, he saw _her_ , the soldier girl, leaning against a nearby wall with her arms crossed and a stoic expression on her face. At this point, Hajime was starting to feel both annoyed and disturbed with the number of strange instances he’s had with this girl. It almost felt like she was doing it on purpose, like she was playing some game with Hajime that he was completely unaware of. After several strange interactions with her, he still had no clue who this girl was or why she seemed to have such a personal vendetta against him.

“Excuse me?” Hajime raised a brow at the soldier. The black-haired girl pushed herself off the wall, approaching him. He stiffened as he watched her come closer but stood his ground, refusing to cower. She stopped in front of him and stood there, her face cold and intimidating. It almost reminded Hajime of the look he was so accustomed to seeing on Izuru’s face, except Izuru’s felt more impersonal and involuntary, while hers felt more hostile, directed straight towards Hajime.

“Hinata Hajime,” she addressed, voice devoid of emotion. “You have no idea how much trouble you’ve caused. The eyes you’ve drawn, the commotion you’ve stirred… you’re oblivious to it all.”

“Do you have a problem with me?” Hajime wasn’t in the mood to be speaking in riddles, and as far as he’s concerned, he’s under no obligation to listen to this girl ramble on about nonsense—he gets enough of that from Komaeda.

“I just don’t get what she sees in you,” Purple eyes narrowed at him, searching for something. “I don’t get why she’s so obsessed with your brother, or why Kamukura bothers protecting you.”

Hajime blinked, startled at the mention of his brother. Someone was obsessed with Izuru… Izuru was protecting him… What does this mean? He felt something itch beneath his skin, questions that he’s been dying to know answers to. He opened his mouth to speak, only to shut it again, biting his tongue as he took a moment to actually examine the person in front of him.

Izuru had never mentioned this girl before—in fact, the only time Izuru had mentioned her was very briefly at the Sports Festival, and that was only because he was pointing out who would win the Three-Legged Race. As far as Hajime knew, this girl was a complete stranger, and yet she had approached Hajime acting as if she was familiar with Izuru. One other girl had done that exact same thing on the day of the Sports Festival, approaching him with the mention of his brother. If he remembered correctly, she was blonde, and had two big pigtails, and… what was her name again?

Hajime carefully decided to ask, “You said ‘she’ is obsessed with my brother… who exactly are you referring to?”

“My sister,” The soldier frowned. “Ever since you and your brother showed up, you two are the only things she seems to care about.”

Her sister _…_ Could her sister possibly be that same girl from the Sports Festival with the pigtails? Wait, now that he thought about it, he’s seen that pigtail-girl multiple times. At the racetrack, he’d seen her speaking briefly with Izuru before she disappeared. Then during the hallway incident when he got into a fight with that neurologist, he’d seen her standing next to him. And hadn’t the soldier been standing next to pigtail-girl during the hallway incident too?

In hindsight, he probably should’ve noticed these occurrences a long time ago, but the fact remains: This was strange, too strange to be simple coincidences. There was something not right about these two girls and Hajime was beginning to suspect that they weren’t friends of Izuru at all. He felt like he was treading through dangerous territory right now, and if this girl were truly the Ultimate Soldier, that only made this situation a lot riskier.

If he were smart, his best bet would be to leave right now before he did something stupid.

But on the other hand… this girl seemed to know _something_ about what was going on, something related to Izuru and apparently Hajime as well. Whether she was friends with Izuru or enemies, she had information. Izuru was obviously keeping secrets from him, and Hajime doubted he’d be able to get his twin to spill them. This could be his only opportunity at getting information, at putting together the incredibly complex puzzle that was Izuru, and Hope’s Peak, and whatever dark secrets were hidden within this school.

Hajime was tired of not knowing what was going on.

“What does your sister want from my brother,” Hajime asked sternly. “and what does it have to do with me?”

The soldier’s expression was hard, unmoving, and for a second, Hajime thought he may have said the wrong thing and at any moment, the soldier was going to reach out and snap him in half. Instead, she only sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Eventually, she will realize how unimportant the both of you are. I have a devotion to my sister, one that you couldn’t possibly begin to understand. Someone like you wouldn’t know anything about true love or loyalty.”

The way the soldier was speaking almost made it sound as if the relationships between their siblings were a contest of sorts, which was really bizarre in itself, and also a sign that maybe Hajime should evacuate the premises now.

“Look, I’m not too sure what you’re getting at here, but I really need to start heading back to class...” Hajime took a few steps back, gesturing towards the end of the hall where his classroom was located. In response, the soldier took a few steps closer until she was only inches away, face-to-face with him. Her gaze was intense, a cold fire seeming to burn behind those purple eyes. Hajime leaned slightly backward, resisting the urge to back away further.

“You will not surpass me, Hinata,” The soldier declared. “I’ll prove to Junko that our bond is greater than yours, one way or another.”

Hajime watched the soldier disappear down the other end of the hallway.

Maybe he should skip class today.

* * *

Chiaki was scared. No, scared wasn’t the right word—she was completely _terrified_.

One moment, she had been sitting in her dorm, waiting for her friend to show up, and then the next moment, this girl had shown up and had taken her away. It had taken her a moment for her brain to come to terms with the fact that she had been _kidnapped_ and left in this unknown place, tied to a chair with no idea where she was.

She remembered hearing her kidnapper talking to someone else while she still had the bag over her head. It sounded like two girls, but neither of them had sounded recognizable. She vaguely recalled hearing the words ‘trap’ and ‘bait’ and ‘Kamukura’ and ‘despair.’ It left her feeling confused and worried, with no understanding of what was happening other than the fact that she had been kidnapped and that someone might be trying to hurt Kamukura-kun.

Soon after the kidnappers had left, she writhed and struggled as hard as she could in her seat. She managed to shake the bag off her head, finally getting to see where she had been taken. Looking around, she appeared to be in a—courtroom, maybe? There wasn’t much light in the room, not allowing her to see much other than the podiums, red carpet, and the large red door across from her.

With nothing else to do, she continued to struggle in her bindings, hoping that by some miracle she’d be able to escape or that someone would come to save her. The first person to pop up in her head was Kamukura-kun. Chiaki had invited him over a minute before she’d been kidnapped, so surely, he’d be the first person to notice. But a part of her worried that he hadn’t shown up and noticed her missing, that maybe he had changed his mind about visiting her dorm, that he had forgotten about her completely, that she would be stuck in this dark room forever. It was irrational, she knows, but she couldn’t help it—she couldn’t help the fear settling into the back of her mind.

Is this how Princess Peach felt whenever Bowser took her away? Or any of the other female characters who’d been taken away by a bad guy waiting for the protagonist to save them? Chiaki couldn’t say she was very happy playing the role of Damsel in Distress, but it wasn’t like she had much of a choice…

“Nanami,” she had heard a voice call out to her and immediately stopped struggling. When she looked across the room, she saw Kamukura-kun standing there. A mixture of joy and relief had flooded her system—he hadn’t forgotten about her after all.

But that relief was replaced by fear as realization finally sunk in.

Trap… Bait… Kamukura… Despair…

Kamukura-kun was walking into a trap, and Chiaki was the bait.

The next moment, the lights in the room had turned red, and an awful sound filled the air. Chiaki wasn’t able to see Kamukura-kun anymore, her view blocked by the back of what appeared to be monitors. She vaguely registered a voice coming from one of the monitors, but the distorted noise from the other monitors was so loud, she couldn’t make out what the voice was saying.

She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and attempting to curl in on herself as much as she could.

Everything was so red, and loud, and Chiaki just wanted to leave, _leave_ , _leave, leave_ —

“Nanami, stay calm,” Kamukura-kun’s calm voice broke out through the distortion, grounding her. “Do not panic. We are going to get out of this, but I’ll need you to listen to me carefully and follow my instructions. Understood?”

Chiaki let out a muffled affirmation, and somehow, she knew the raven-haired boy had heard her clearly through the loud noise.

“There are monitors everywhere,” he explained. “It is dangerous to look at them. Right now, my eyes are closed. I would come to you, but the room is trapped, and if I navigate blindly, I will risk activating one of those traps. So instead, I will guide you through escaping your bindings. Do you understand?”

Chiaki nodded her head, letting out another muffled affirmation. She wasn’t sure how Kamukura-kun was going to help her escape her bindings, but she trusted him.

“Good. First, lick the duct tape across your mouth until it falls off. Your saliva should make it less durable.” Kamukura-kun instructed. Chiaki hadn’t thought about that, too busy panicking while trying to break out the chair. She built up as much saliva as she could and stuck out her tongue, licking ferociously at the duct tape across her mouth. It wasn’t long before the tape started to loosen, slowly but surely unsticking from her mouth.

Soon enough, the piece of tape fell from her mouth and Chiaki felt like she could breathe just a little better.

“I-It worked!” Chiaki grinned joyfully. “Kamukura-kun, it worked!”

“Good,” Kamukura-kun responded. “Now flex your muscles and try to wiggle out of your bondages.”

“O-okay. It’s really tight, but I think I loosened it up a bit.” Chiaki had been wriggling ever since she’d been tied to this chair, and the duct tape was starting to feel a bit looser than it did before. But it was still incredibly tight, her wrists and ankles feeling very sore. She squirmed more in her seat, trying to slip out of the duct tape. But it was no use, whoever had secured her had done it well enough to make it not so easy to slip out off.

After five minutes, she huffed in frustration, attempting to force the duct tape off as she tried to kick and jolt, rocking herself in her chair. This would probably be easier if she were stronger like Owari-san or Nidai-kun were. Maybe if she were smarter like Kamukura-kun or warier like Hinata-kun, she wouldn’t have let herself get kidnapped so easily in the first place. But no, now wasn’t the time to be beating herself up about that. She was so close to escaping, she just had to- if she could- just-

Chiaki jerked forward a bit too forcefully and suddenly lost balance, causing the chair to fall over. She hit the ground with a grunt, hearing something small and metal fall and clatter beside her head.

“Are you okay?” Kamukura-kun called out from the center of the room. Chiaki had nearly forgotten he was still there, waiting patiently as the monitors continued blaring in his ears. She panted against the floor, having maybe overexerted herself a bit.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I fell.” She looked over to the spot near her head and noticed her hairpin had fallen out, the little Gala Omega ship reflecting light from the room. “Oh, my hairpin fell out.”

“The Gala Omega Hairpin,” Kamukura-kun mused as if he remembered it perfectly. “Try to use that to cut through your bindings.”

“T-the hairpin?” Chiaki gawked, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

“It is made of metal. You may be able to cut through the bindings on your wrist with it.”

Chiaki supposed it didn’t seem entirely impossible. She had seen crazy things like that happen on videogames and even in movies like ‘Mission: Impossible’. But as mentioned before, she trusted Kamukura-kun, and if he said it was possible, then what other reason did she need to try it?

Chiaki slowly scooted the chair around, positioning herself so that her back was facing the hairpin. It took a while, but after some scooting and repositioning, she managed to get her tied hands to reach the hairpin. Carefully, she focused on using the sharp end to cut through the duct tape on her wrists, keeping her pace steady.

The process was slow, and she wasn’t sure if it was working until she started to hear a soft tear behind her. She gasped, stopping for a moment before newfound confidence overtook her. She kept a steady pace, careful not to drop the hairpin. The tear started to grow as she cut at the tape, ripping it until it was loose enough to feel her wrists coming apart.

With one strong tug, she broke her wrists free from the tape.

“Yes! I did it, Kamukura-kun! I’m free!” Chiaki was practically bouncing in her seat, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through her. With her hands free, she quickly untied the rest of herself, ripping off the tape from her ankles and mid-section. “I’m coming over to you Kamukura-kun—”

“No,” Kamukura-kun’s voice was calm but firm. “Do not come to me. I am surrounded by traps, remember? You may set one of them off.”

“Oh, right…” Chiaki felt dumb, having nearly forgot about that, but her embarrassment was quickly replaced by worry. “Then how do I get you out of there?”

“You can’t. Right now, you need to escape.”

“But—there’s no way I can leave you here!”

“I will be alright,” Kamukura-kun’s voice was soft, reassuring. “If you escape now, you can bring back help. Close your eyes and follow along the wall from where you’re standing. Keep going until you reach the door.”

Chiaki was hesitant, feeling conflicted. She really didn’t want to leave Kamukura-kun here alone, but she knew this was the best option, and she wouldn’t be gone long before she returned with help. “Okay Kamukura-kun, I’ll go get help, and I promise I’ll be as fast as possible.” She was fairly certain Kamukura-kun didn’t need the reassurance, but she gave it anyway.

Chiaki placed her hands on the back wall then closed her eyes, sidestepping along the wall. If she followed the wall, it shouldn’t be long before she made it to the big door that led out of this room. She kept her eyes closed as Kamukura-kun instructed, not daring to open them for even a second.

She was certain that the exit was near until suddenly, everything went silent—the monitors shut down instantly, silencing the noise that had been blaring constantly throughout the room. Chiaki opened her eyes after realizing that the power had been shut off, seeing nothing but pitch black. The room was completely silent and dark.

“Kamukura-kun?!” Chiaki called out in a panic. She whipped her head around, trying to make out where she was or where Kamukura-kun was, but to no avail. She felt two hands fall onto her waist behind her and gasped, jumping.

“It’s me,” Kamukura-kun spoke calmly. Chiaki relaxed, turning around to see Kamukura-kun standing there. The room was still dark, but she could see two red eyes glowing in the darkness. Literally, they were glowing.

“Kamukura-kun…? Your eyes, they’re glowing!” she exclaimed, surprised.

“Yes. I am bioluminescent which allows me to see through the dark.” he explained. Chiaki couldn’t help but stare at them in awe. Kamukura-kun was always filled with so many surprises, it amazed her. Chiaki held Kamukura-kun’s hand as he led her through the darkness, avoiding the traps. She found herself continuously distracted by the feel of his hand around hers. His hand felt soft and lean, and no matter what, she didn’t want to let go.

Eventually, they reached the big door and pushed it open, escaping the room. Once out of the room, they quickly left the strange area—which she now realized was some sort of secret underground facility beneath the school statue—and escaped back to the surface. Chiaki was still holding his hand.

“Why did the power go off?” Chiaki questioned. It seemed strange and also awfully convenient for them.

“I sent Komaeda a text stating that if I do not respond to him in half an hour, to shut off the school’s main power system.” Kamukura-kun explained. Chiaki wasn’t sure how to feel about that, shifting where she stood.

“Kamukura-kun… what’s going on?” She looked at him, confused. Kamukura-kun turned his head to face her, red eyes assessing.

“I will explain it to you later. For now, there's something I need to take care of. Go find Hajime.” Kamukura-kun said. She wasn’t exactly satisfied with that answer but there wasn't much room for arguing right now, so instead, she nodded.

“Okay, just... please be careful.” She looked down at Kamukura-kun’s hand that was still connected to hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before finally letting go. Kamukura-kun looked down at his own hand then back to her with something soft in his gaze. "I will." he said before turning around and leaving. Chiaki watched him leave, reminiscing for a moment about the feel of his hand and the soft look in his gaze, before blushing madly, snapping herself out of it and running off to find Hinata-kun.

* * *

Ryota didn’t understand what went wrong. He only wanted to make an animation that would inspire hope in people. How did he get caught up in all of this?

“Come on, just hurry up and finish it!” Enoshima goaded, poking at his back as he followed him around the school campus. “I need the finished product pronto! Come on, do it, do it!”

“L-leave me alone!” Ryota desperately tried to get away from her. He had a suspicion that this girl was crazy from the start, but the fact that she was following him around trying to force him to complete his project was absurd.

What did she need it so badly for, anyway? Were her intentions really as good-willed as his were, or was she trying to pull something else…? Ryota has dealt with enough bullies in his life to know when he was being manipulated, toyed with. He didn’t want to believe it when he first met Enoshima—he wanted to believe that he had met someone who wanted to help the world as much as he did.

But he was starting to believe that he’d been wrong…

Enoshima suddenly stood in front of him, stopping him from going any further with hands on her hips. “Listen here, nerd, I’ve been helping you work on this stupid project for _ages_ now, and I’ve been nothing but patient, haven’t I? I need you to help me, help you! And if you can’t do that, then maybe I’ll just have to show your classmates this secret project you’ve been working on for so long, how does that sound?”

Ryota swallowed thickly. “What are you saying? You’re gonna show the animation to… m-my classmates?”

“Yup, that’s the plan! Or at least, my version of it…” Enoshima grinned, pulling out her phone and waving it in front of him. Ryota felt confused.

“Your version…?” His eyes widened. “W-what did you do?”

“Just made some little tweaks, that’s all! Now cooperate unless you want your class to be filled with despair!”

Despair?! Was she being serious? His animation wasn’t supposed to be for spreading _despair._ It was meant to spread hope, to inspire goodness in the world.

Despair was the exact _opposite_ of that!

“Y-you can’t… you can’t do that!” Ryota’s breathing began to pick up, becoming unsteady.

“If you don’t want your friends to fall into despair, then finish the animation, Mitarai.” Enoshima’s eyes were dark, making Ryota feel so small beneath her gaze. Then suddenly, he caught sight of someone else rounding the corner of the walkway. A boy with long black hair and red eyes stepped into view.

“Do not use that animation,” The boy’s voice sounded emotionless much like his face. Red eyes were directed at Ryota, locking onto him and sending a chill up his spine. Enoshima gasped exaggeratingly and stood behind Ryota, gripping his shoulders.

“Be careful, Mitarai, don’t you know who that is?" She whispered in his ear. "That’s Kamukura Izuru. Haven’t you heard the rumors about him? He's the biggest bully in this school!”

“I-I don’t…” Ryota was even more confused now, his eyes flickering between the tall boy across from him and the blonde girl standing behind him.

“He wants to stop you from spreading hope. He's gonna wreck all your hard work! Quick, Mitarai, brainwash him before it's too late!” Enoshima urged, shoving Ryota’s phone in his hand. Ryota’s hands were shaky, holding his phone that held his own copy of his animation. If he played the video from his phone and showed it to the boy in front of him, he would be brainwashed, but…

“Do not trust her,” Kamukura said, taking a few steps closer to him. “She only wants to use your animation to spread despair across the world.”

“He’s lying, Mitarai. He’s the one who wants to spread despair, I only want to help you spread hope. Don’t you remember everything I’ve done for you? Are you really gonna trust him over me?” Enoshima whispered more into his ear, pressing herself against Ryota’s back as she invading his space. Ryota's mouth felt dry, his face paling and body quivering.

“Trusting Enoshima is a foolish decision,” Kamukura stood directly in front of him now, practically pressing himself against Ryota’s front side. “She just admitted that she was going to spread despair to your classmates. Do you truly believe she's interested in helping you spread hope?”

“I-I…” Ryota's eyes were impossibly widened, suffocating beneath the powerful presence that was Enoshima and Kamukura, trapped between them both figuratively and literally.

“Use it!”

“Don’t use it.”

The two of them were arguing now, eyes glaring into each other while Ryota was practically sandwiched between them. Ryota found himself feeling incredibly overwhelmed and on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. He couldn’t decide who to trust, who not to trust—the both of them were persuasive and yet absolutely terrifying! Ryota didn’t know how to face this, couldn’t decide what to do. 

So he did the only thing he knew how to do.

He screamed and ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I searched “can you cut duct tape with a metal hairpin” and didn’t get an answer but a very reliable source told me that it was possible (*cough* my brother *cough*)  
> \- Hajime is finally starting to piece things together, about time  
> \- I couldn't think of a better title for this chapter other than “Two Analysts, One Ryota” in relation to the last scene. It wasn’t originally supposed to be a ‘suggestive’ scene buuut whoops ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> \- Next Update: 2/27/21


	19. Don't Run Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m a whole day late. There goes my update streak :’) But hey, 18 chapters is the longest I’ve ever consistently updated a fic, so I’m proud of myself! Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Next chapter is still scheduled to release next Saturday

Hajime decided to skip class after all. It was nearly the end of the day anyway, and it wasn’t like he’d be able to pay attention to the lesson being taught in class, not after that off-putting encounter he had with the soldier girl earlier. He hadn’t even caught the girl’s name, all he knew was that somehow, someway she was associated with his twin, the same twin who had apparently been keeping secrets from him.

Honestly, he couldn’t say he was surprised. Izuru has always been reserved and mysterious, only allowing Hajime to know small bits of his life within the walls of Hope’s Peak. It’s not like Izuru was obligated to tell Hajime everything going on in his life, so in a way, Hajime understood. But at the same time, it still stung knowing that his brother didn’t trust him enough to consult him. Not to mention, if he was in danger, wouldn’t it be better for Hajime to know about it? How else is he supposed to have his brother’s back if Izuru won’t be honest with him?

Hajime stopped on the pathway somewhere near the main gates, taking in a breath. He really didn’t feel like going back to his dorm, not with all these thoughts stirring restlessly in his mind. He looked up at the blue sky, contemplating.

_Izuru… what are you hiding?_

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard hasty footsteps draw near. He turned his head, only to see his lilac-haired gamer friend running towards him with a troubled look on her face. Nanami slowed to a stop in front of him, planting her hands on her knees and panting heavily as if she just ran a marathon.

“Nanami?” Hajime called out, confused. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in class—”

“Hinata-kun, I need your help!” She interrupted, lifting her head to meet his gaze with wide eyes. “It’s your brother—he’s in trouble!”

A flicker of surprise passed through him before he tensed, alerted. “What happened? Is he hurt?”

Nanami inhaled deeply before explaining in a rush. “I left class early today and was cleaning up my dorm room when all of a sudden, a stranger had shown up and kidnapped me, and they took me to this secret room and left me tied up to a chair, then Kamukura-kun showed up to save me but it turns out it was a trap, then we both got trapped in the room, and eventually we got out, then he told me to come find you, and now we have to go find him because I’m pretty sure there’s some people here who wants to hurt him!”

The gears in Hajime’s brain halted, struggling to process the information the shorter girl just dumped on him. His first thought was that this must be some kind of joke Nanami was pulling on him, but judging by the desperate look on her face, pink eyes wide and pleading, Hajime knew she was telling the truth. Several emotions passed through him then—alarm, confusion, worry, some other things Hajime couldn’t quite place at this moment—but he shoved all that down so that he could focus on the problem at hand.

His mind went back to the word _kidnapped_ and it was only then that it actually sunk in. Hajime didn’t want to believe that some crazy person had kidnapped his best friend and what could have transpired had Izuru not shown up to save her. He could only imagine how terrified Nanami felt, and _that_ thought was enough to make Hajime’s blood boil, but now wasn’t the time to be angry.

“You were kidnapped. Nanami, that’s… that’s awful. Are you okay?” Hajime asked worriedly.

Nanami shook her head. “I’m fine, forget about me. The trap was set for Kamukura-kun, which means someone here is trying to hurt him. We have to find—”

Nanami was interrupted by the sound of a high-pitched scream piercing the air. The two of them simultaneously turned their head to see a scrawny-looking boy with a scarf around his neck sprinting down the walkway, eyes wide in terror as he screamed. Hajime hadn’t a clue who he was or what he was running from, but from what he could tell, the boy was panicking and was looking like he was about to do something stupid. Hajime and Nanami shared a look, seeming to have the same idea, before following the screaming boy.

* * *

Ryota couldn’t take it anymore.

The constant fear, the hiding, those two scary girls, that freaky red-eyed boy—Ryota swore that red-eyed guy was so creepy and robotic, he was like the _Terminator_ or something. It was all too much.

He needed to finish this animation _now_.

He ran down the walkway and rushed into the school building, quickly reaching his dorm room. He slammed the door shut behind him, not bothering to lock, and scrambled to get to his desk. He picked up the drawing stylus with shaky hands and aimed it at the tablet connected to the monitor.

Just a few more edits and his animation would be complete. Then he would broadcast it to the whole school, have every student watch it so that _no one_ would have to experience despair ever again.

He’ll save everyone, even if it means forcing them to accept hope.

He was just adding the finishing touches when suddenly, a knock sounded on his door. He let out a small ‘ _eep!_ ’ and jumped in his seat.

“Hello?” An unrecognizable voice called out from the other side of the door. “Um, my friend and I saw you screaming and running across campus, and we were just wondering if you were okay…”

Ryota relaxed a little once he realized it wasn’t Enoshima at his door, but his nerves were still very much frayed. “Yes, I-I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

Everything was not fine, but he didn’t trust this stranger enough to let him know that.

“You didn’t look very fine,” Another voice came from the other side of the door, a girl’s. “you looked like you needed help. Can we come in?”

Ryota’s gut instinct was to yell _“no, don’t come in!”_ but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. His anxious mind was screaming at him, telling him that he needed to tell these people to go away, that he needed to finish his animation and broadcast it before it was too late. But he was hesitating, as if he weren’t actually sure what he was doing was the right thing to do. But of course it was! If it was for the sake of hope, then this had to be the right thing to do… right?

At the lack of response, the boy on the other side spoke again. “We’re coming in,” he said shortly before the doorknob turned. Ryota didn’t have time to protest before the door opened, revealing two figures standing in his doorway. One of them was a taller boy with short brown, spiky hair and green eyes, while the other was a shorter girl with pink hair and pink eyes. Ryota hadn’t met either of them before, and not knowing how else to react to the two potentially dangerous strangers standing in his doorway, he shrieked.

“Whoa, whoa, easy!” The boy raised his palms in a non-threatening gesture. “It’s alright, we’re not here to hurt you.”

Ryota stopped shrieking but his heart was still beating rapidly in his chest. “W-who are you?”

“I’m Hinata Hajime, from the Reserve Course Department.”

“And I’m Nanami Chiaki, from Class 77…”

“Class 77…?” Ryota squinted his eyes at the girl. That was Ryota’s class—or at least, the class he was supposed to be in but never actually showed up to—which meant this girl, Nanami, was actually his classmate.

“We really don’t mean to cause any trouble. It’s just, we saw you running and we were worried.” Nanami looked at him with a friendly smile. “What’s your name?”

“Um… I’m Mitarai Ryota, the Ultimate Animator.”

“Huh?” Nanami blinked. “That’s weird. There’s another student in my class with that name and title. But… I’m pretty sure you’re not him.”

“Right… it’s actually a funny story.” Ryota rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how he was gonna explain his friendship with the Ultimate Imposter and how he basically agreed to cover for Ryota while he worked on his animation. But before he could explain, another figure entered the room so quietly that Ryota almost hadn’t noticed. He looked over Hinata’s shoulder to see the creepy boy from earlier with the scary, robotic expression, red eyes staring at him like they were locked on target.

“It’s him!” Ryota backed away in his seat, pointing at the red-eyed cyborg. “It’s the Terminator!”

“Terminator?” Hinata looked over his shoulder to glance at the red-eyed boy before looking back at Ryota. “Um, no, that’s just my brother.”

“When did you get here, Kamukura-kun?” Nanami asked.

“Just now,” The cyborg—no, ‘Kamukura’ said flatly before moving further into the room, allowing someone else to enter. “I brought someone.”

Ryota was confused as he watched someone else enter the room (just how many more people are coming to invade his room?) until he saw the person standing in his doorway was none other than his friend, the Ultimate Imposter. He was still disguised as Ryota from head to toe.

“Mitarai,” Imposter looked at him worriedly. “Kamukura told me what was going on and I’m here to tell you, don’t broadcast that video.”

Ryota tensed in his seat, visibly trembling. “B-but… I have to. I have to broadcast it o-or else Enoshima will…”

“You told me you were working on this project because it was your passion, because you wanted to make the world a better place. But if you’re doing this because someone is bullying you into it and you’re planning to use it for harm, you shouldn’t do it.”

Ryota shrunk in his seat and lowered his head. His friend was right, he _knows_ he is, but still, they couldn’t understand. They didn’t _get_ it. Did they have any clue what it was like to be constantly bullied for pursuing their passions? Anime is an important part of their culture and has always been something Ryota held dear to him, and yet he’d always been bullied and harassed for it. He was just so sick and tired of people being mistreated by bullies like Enoshima.

Hinata sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but your friend is right. If someone is trying to force you to do something that you know is wrong, you shouldn’t do it.”

“You don’t understand!” Ryota snapped, on the verge of tears. “You don’t know what it’s like to be constantly picked on for something you can’t control!”

Hinata’s lips twist into a bitter smile, something sad and understanding in his eyes. “Actually, I do. It sucks. A lot.”

Ryota fell silent at that, suddenly feeling guilty. He hadn’t meant to say that, and he knew it wasn’t fair for him to assume the other boy had never been bullied before.

“And as someone who does understand,” Hinata continued. “I know that by doing this, you’re just giving the person bullying you more power over you. By doing what they want you to do, you’re giving them more control.”

“But if I don’t do this, they might do something worse. I-I just… I just want it to stop. I’m scared, Hinata.”

“The only way to truly end this is to face your fears.”

Ryota lowered his head in shame, fresh tears spilling out as he shook in his seat. “I can’t. I’m a coward. I don’t know how to face my fears. I only know how to run away from them. I don’t know how to deal with all the bad things that happen to me. I just—I just want to erase all the bad in the world and spread hope so no one else has to suffer.”

It’s what Ryota has been doing all his life—running away from his bullies, from his problems, from the world itself. He’s gotten so used to being alone that he didn’t even bother trying to participate in his own class or meet any of his classmates other than the Imposter. He didn’t bother trying to make new friends or experience new things. He’s wasted so much time cooped up in this room working on this damn project and now he’s so close to finishing it, finally ridding this world of all terrible things that make people feel hopeless, but… but he…

Ryota’s eyes were still squeezed shut when he heard footsteps coming closer and felt a gentle hand land on his shoulder. He reopened his eyes to see Hinata standing in front of him, gazing down at him with a soft, kind expression.

“Don’t run away anymore. You have a friend here who really cares about you and is willing to stand beside you, and I’m sure more people would care about you if you give them a chance. Wouldn’t you say that sounds more hopeful than whatever you’re doing right now?”

Ryota’s eyes widened, staring at the person before him with his mouth agape. He thought about his words, considering them. Finally, he took a deep breath and bit his lip, nodding in agreement. Kamukura took a few steps closer, staring at the monitor before slowly pulling his arm back and delivering a swift punch to the monitor, breaking it.

“H-hey!” Ryota weakly protested.

“It’s probably for the best.” Imposter said sympathetically, putting his hand on Ryota’s other shoulder.

“So, smaller Mitarai-kun,” Nanami spoke up. “how do you feel about joining Class 77?”

Ryota looked at the girl and smiled tentatively, nodding. Maybe making new friends wouldn’t be so hard after all.

* * *

Izuru reviewed everything that happened today. After reevaluation, he concluded that Enoshima had planned to use Izuru to murder Nanami. There are several reasons why she chose Nanami: not only was Nanami the class representative of Class 77, but she was also Hajime’s closest friend. Ideally, by having Izuru murder Nanami with his own hands, she would succeed in both bringing Class 77 into despair as well as his brother after leaving Hajime with the realization that his own brother had killed his best friend.

In summary, it was an elaborate scheme to cause despair to Izuru by permanently putting a rift between him and Hajime while simultaneously turning Class 77, and possibly the entire school, against him.

Fortunately, her plan failed. Izuru’s run-in with the Ultimate Imposter is what led to Izuru being informed about the animator and his brainwashing video. With this information in mind, Izuru was able to predict Enoshima getting her hands on the brainwashing video and attempting to use it against him. This prediction is exactly why Izuru decided to contact Komaeda, sending the lucky student a message telling him to shut off the main power. It would seem exchanging phone numbers with Komaeda had proved useful, as the lucky student did exactly what Izuru told him without question.

Once he escaped the secret room, he immediately sought out the Ultimate Animator only to find him with Enoshima. Izuru attempted to dissuade the animator from taking Enoshima’s side shortly before the animator ran off. While the animator ran, Izuru snatched Enoshima’s phone, erasing any and all traces of the brainwashing video before promptly destroying her phone, much to her displeasure—“ _hey, no fair! So lame!”_ Enoshima had whined. 

After that, Izuru moved onto the final step of his plan: he visited the Ultimate Imposter and brought him to the animator’s room where, fortunately enough, Hajime and Nanami had gathered. Both Hajime and the Imposter were able to persuade the animator into giving up his pursuits in brainwashing Hope’s Peak, allowing Izuru to successfully destroy the brainwashing video before it could be broadcasted.

In conclusion: Izuru successfully foiled Enoshima’s plan. One may say that in this scenario, hope had triumphed over despair. Ironically, Izuru never truly considered himself on the side of hope or despair. Hope had initially bored him, and despair hadn’t been something he considered before Enoshima’s arrival. He liked to consider himself a neutral party, not caring whether the world was led by hope or despair.

But now that he was associated with Hajime and his friends whom he was sure were more in favor of hope, then he supposed he was on hope’s side if only because he felt more inclined to their wishes than anyone else’s.

Izuru returned to the main gates alongside Hajime, Nanami, the Imposter, and the animator.

“Hey, Kamukura, was it?” Imposter approached Izuru, a friendly smile adorning their face. “Thank you, for everything. Because of your help, Mitarai found the courage he needed to stop hiding away. He’s even decided to finally join our class.”

Izuru hadn’t exactly done what he did for the animator’s benefit, but he wasn’t about to correct the imposter, so instead, he just nodded.

“To be honest, my class doesn’t have very good impressions of you. But after what you did today, you’ve earned both my respect and my support. If it ever comes down to it, I’ll vouch for you in the future.” Imposter smiled, and with that, they left off with the animator. Immediately after those two left, Komaeda came strolling through the gate.

“Hey guys!” Komaeda smiled and waved. “I just got expelled, haha!”

“You got expelled from school?” Hajime repeated, surprised.

“Only for a few days. I don’t think the school took too kindly to me shutting off the main power. Oh well, what can you do?” Komaeda shrugged.

Nanami yawned. “I’m so tired, I wouldn’t mind being expelled for a few days…”

Komaeda and Nanami fell into a one-sided conversation with Komaeda rambling and Nanami mostly dozing off while standing up. Izuru felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head to see his twin looking at him expectantly.

“Izuru, can we talk for a moment, in private?” By the tone of Hajime’s voice, Izuru suspects that he won’t be able to escape this conversation. With a begrudging nod, Izuru followed him inside the school building.

* * *

For some reason, Izuru decided that the school rooftop would be a good place to hold their private conversation. At this point, Hajime didn’t really care which location they decided—what was more important was the discussion itself. Hajime stood on the rooftop, gazing out at the view below. The sun was setting in the sky, casting the world around them in an orangish glow. There was a soft breeze brushing against Hajime’s skin and blowing his hair. The whole scene felt momentous, almost dramatic in a way, but it was a nice view, admittedly.

Beside him, Izuru stood silently, raven hair blowing majestically in the wind as he gazed out at the view. Hajime could only wonder what was going through the twin’s mind right now, whether he foresaw this confrontation happening and what he was expecting Hajime to say. Hajime had quite a bit to say to him that he wasn’t sure where to start. Eventually, he decided to start things off lightly.

“Today was certainly something, wasn’t it?” Hajime began, scratching his cheek. “To be honest, I’m still trying to unpack it all. I don’t fully understand everything that happened today other than the fact that Nanami was kidnapped, and that animator guy was planning to do something bad because he was scared of something. And of course, you had something to do with both of these things, and while I don’t understand the whole story, I’m pretty sure I figured out who was responsible for all this…”

Hajime leaned his arms against the railing, turning his head to face Izuru.

“So, those two girls, the one with the pigtails and the soldier… What do you know about them? They must be trouble.”

“…” Izuru looked back at Hajime with a blank expression, pretending not to know what Hajime was talking about. Hajime threw the twin an unimpressed look.

“Come on, I’m not dumb. Those girls have never been interested in me, some random reserve student, and now all of a sudden when you come around, they approach me multiple times. Whatever’s going on with those girls, I know you’re involved, and I know you’ve been hiding things from me.”

Izuru turned his head away, expression unreadable. Hajime tried to search for any hints or indications on his brother’s face to guess what he was thinking but found that all signs had been carefully hidden. Hajime sighed heavily, closing his eyes. He had to get through to the stubborn twin else he may never get another chance to understand what the hell was going on.

“Look, I know you probably just want to protect me—I get it. But I’m telling you, whatever secrets you’re hiding from me, I can take it.” Hajime thought about what Nanami had told him earlier, remembering the confusion and fear he felt from finding out that she had been kidnapped while Hajime had just been wandering about without the slightest clue that his friend was in danger.

His previous anger came forth and he turned around to face the twin, frowning. “Do you have any idea how it feels to hear your best friend was kidnapped and have no idea why? The only reason I haven’t lost my shit yet is because I wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself before I did. Seriously, what the hell, Izuru?”

“Nanami’s kidnapping wasn’t something I anticipated happening in the manner it did,” Izuru lowered his head in a way that appeared apologetic. There was an almost regretful look on his face. “Endangering her wasn’t my intention. I apologize for my failure to protect your friend.”

“She’s _your_ friend too, remember?” Hajime pointed out. A flicker of surprise passed through the twin’s features as if he hadn’t been expecting Nanami to still consider him her friend after what happened.

“… _Our_ friend…” Izuru corrected himself.

Hajime continued. “I’m not saying it’s your fault, by the way, nor am I blaming you for Nanami’s kidnapping. But this is why it’s important that we have this conversation now. At this point, whatever you’re hiding is doing more harm than good, and if it’s endangering me or Nanami, then I need to know about what’s going on. Can’t you at least let me try to understand? I can handle it. You can _trust_ me.”

Silence fell in the air again. Izuru’s face was contemplative, considering. Hajime waited patiently for him to get his thoughts in order until he spoke.

“…The girl you mentioned with the pigtails,” Izuru looked over at Hajime with a serious gaze. “her name is Enoshima Junko. I met her days after I met you. When I first met her, she offered to show me something interesting: a world filled with despair, something chaotic and supposedly unpredictable. She wanted me to join her, to help her enact her plans. I declined her offer, but she is persistent in changing my mind. Ever since then, she’s been trying to convince me to join her side in despair.”

Hajime hadn’t known what to expect, but he certainly hadn’t been expecting _that_. To fill the world with despair… it sounded like something a supervillain would do. Is that really the kind of person they were up against?

Hajime swallowed thickly, ignoring the nervous energy rising in him. “…And the soldier? How does she play a role in this?”

“Ikusaba Mukuro is the older twin sister of Enoshima Junko,” Izuru answered. “she follows Enoshima’s every command.”

That explains some things but also raises more questions. Does that mean Enoshima ordered Ikusaba to confront Hajime earlier in the hallway today? But… what would be the point in that? Unless Ikusaba decided to approach Hajime for her own reasons.

Either way, Hajime had been right about one thing: these two girls were dangerous. Thinking back to the Sports Festival, Hajime remembered how that girl, _Enoshima_ had touched him and whispered things into his ear. He hadn’t realized until now that Enoshima had been trying to _manipulate_ him. How many other instances went over Hajime’s head while he remained blissfully ignorant? Just how much danger were they in? Was someone like Enoshima really out to get them?

The thought makes his stomach twist, anxiety threatening to overtake him. He can feel the twin’s eyes watching him, gauging his reaction. Hajime took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He told Izuru he could handle hearing the truth, and he meant it. Besides, after that speech he’d given to Mitarai earlier, he’d be a hypocrite if he didn’t face the truth. He wasn’t going to back down or cower now.

“I’m not scared,” Hajime affirmed. He wasn’t sure if that statement was true or not, but if he was confident enough, maybe he would believe it.

“You shouldn’t underestimate Enoshima,” Izuru replied. “She is exceptionally intelligent, strategic, and dangerous.”

Hajime shrugged. “I’m not too worried about that. Besides, I know someone who’s even more intelligent and dangerous than her.”

For a split second, Hajime could’ve sworn he saw Izuru’s lips quirk up just slightly, but it was gone in a flash, leaving only a ghost of a smile in its place. Hajime found himself smiling in return. The two of them continued gazing out at the sunset, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere for a moment longer. The threat that was Enoshima and Ikusaba still occupied Hajime’s mind, leaving him a little unsettled. What was even more worrying was the thought that for a few months now, Izuru had been facing them off alone—he knew his brother was capable of handling himself but there was only so much one person could handle on their own.

Hajime refused to let Izuru face Enoshima and Ikusaba alone. Whatever was in store for them, they would face it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terminator Izuru: *puts on sunglasses* I’ll be back  
> Hajime: where are you going? and why are you wearing sunglasses?  
> Terminator Izuru: *turns and leaves*
> 
> It was funnier in my head
> 
> \- Next chapter will be more like a filler chapter, but it’s a chapter I’ve been excited to post for quite some time and we get to focus a lot more on the main squad. Here’s a hint for next chapter: 4 Players  
> \- Hajime's speech to Ryota was supposed to be similar or like a parallel to his speech in Hope Arc but... I don't actually remember what he said (O_O;)  
> \- Next Update: 03/6/21


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